Any Advice for Starting a Children's Boutique?

D.,

I am not trying to be negative here, so take my advice/feedback with a grain of salt and merely as just another way of looking at the total picture before you jump in.

I, like many mom's out there, can especially appreciate your drive and determination to go after your own dreams - I think its a great concept and think if you are passionate enough to make it successful you will in fact, succeed -- I just want to give you some thing to think about before leaping forward as I come from a marketing backgroup and have a master degree in business.....

I only wish, I had met someone like you to partner with - I had wished to do this a few years ago - but getting in relationship with someone else who is as passionate as you are and will comitt seriously is sometimes a challenge.

Anywa, in your quest for your boutique try and keep these few things in mind,
1. What is your profit margin on the sell of such "upscale" clothing. Are you going to make $2.00 every time you sell a pair of jeans. Well, to stay in business you are going to have sell tons of jeans. Perhaps if you sell a handpainted cross, you might make $3.00 in profit - what are the items that are going to yield you the most profit/per piece. (Does that make sense?)
2. Are you positioning yourself/store front in your target market? That is to say, are you looking at a store front where your customer lives/can get to easily? (ie. are you targeting the Highland park consumer, but positioning your store in Garland - I know this is a strech here in description, but just further illustration of the point I am trying to make).
3. Are you able to finance the start-up operation and do you have sufficient funding for a "payroll" and start-up costs? As a female you would be entitled to various loans for a "woman" owned business so, as one other mother posted. (that is, if you need help in this area.)
4. If finance is something you are good at, do a cost-analysis on how much product you will sell at a given month, and what your costs (utilities, rent, etc) would yield -- are you still profitable etc?
5. Do you have someone who could set up a computer program for you to track inventory?
6. What would you do in an umprofitable month -do you have enough liquidity to pay the bills and account for inventory if you have a slow/unprofitable sales month?

I think all mothers are interested in a well-dressed child; and especially when our kids are young - we, each (In my opinion) look for that cute - one of a kind - outfit for our boys and girls to wear. I 2nd the opinion of one other mom, that there should be more options for boys - but remember, how quickly our kids grow out of things - Additionally, remember that your store-front has always got to have clever ways to draw people in. You have to set yourself out and differeniate yourself from your competition. Maybe you could offer a room in the back with tv, and games/train table, so when mom's come in - there's a place for kids to wander while Mom shops? You are going to have think outside of the box, if you are going to set yourself up and be have a niche in the market. Otherwise, like many of these shops, you won't consistently produce enough revenue to keep yourself in business. Location, Location, location - and making sure you are positioning yourself in your target market are keys issues to address. And, lastly, you might want to hire someone who can do a business plan for you -- the sba might want to see this before they give you minority business (woman owned) loan.......that is, if you are needing such.
Good luck - these were just some suggestions for you to think about as you are embarking on your dream. Keep us posted - I certainly would love to visit your shop in the future. Oh, and one more idea - take some time to visit some upscale children's boutiques' in the area -sometimes, visiting your competition is the best way to stay abreast of what the competition is doing and at the same time - gives you great ideas too.....(One of my fav's in Cat in the Fiddle).
K.

I make baby and boutique items and I would love to open a boutique. There is a website I sell on, www.etsy.com and I'm sure you could post on the forums and some boutique owners may chime in to help you out.

A lot of boutiques consign artists/designers usually 60/40% or they purchase wholesale upfront. I think that would be easier since you buy it and it's yours to sale, where as consignment the artist "loans" you the items and you have to keep track of when there item sales and send them a check.

I will browse Etsy forums for more info and send you the links, this questions comes up a lot, but they are having site/speed issues right now, so I will have to do it later!

HI D.!
It's so cool you're wanting to follow your dream.
When I read your message the first thing that came to my mind is a boutique that used to be here in Allen. It was by a preschool so I thougth their location was great for a children's boutique. But they were only in business for about a year or so and they're already out of business. It was set up very cute and even had a section that looked like little girls could do 'tea parties'. They sold children's boutique items. I'm wondering what the reasons were for them going out of business. Maybe someone here knows??
Good luck to you!!
A.

Hi, other than being sure to advertise sufficiently, the only advice I have is to make sure to include plenty of boy clothing. As the mother of three boys, it is a major pet peeve of mine to go into a "children's" clothing store, and find two boy outfits (if I'm lucky), and hundreds of girl outfits. I also find it hard to find really cute boy outfits that don't include a sport or car theme. I hope I haven't been too abrupt in my advice, and I hope it helps!

Best of Luck!
D.

Hi D., I have been kicking around the idea of starting a kids clothing line for a couple of years. I'm more interested in creating the line, not so much in opening a store. But I think the ideas are simular enough that you might benefit from some of the research i've done. I have a steady, corporate job with good benefits, so I can't leave right now, but I want to start something on the side to create an additional source of income to pay of bills and create a possible 2nd 'career' option. If you do move forward with this idea, please keep me in mind...maybe I will have created my line of clothing by then. personal email is ____@____.com
Take care... D.

http://www.childrenswholesale.com/girls-clothing/catalog/...

http://www.powerhomebiz.com/

http://www.alibaba.com/manufacturers/310/Infant_Garment.html

http://kidsresource.com/aboutus.html

http://dmoz.org/Business/Consumer_Goods_and_Services/Clot...

I owned two children's boutiques for eight years. It was not easy. The problem is that it is hard for a person like you and me to compete with places like Walmart and Kohl's. You have to double (at least) your cost on everything, and everyone is always looking for sales, so you better triple it. (A third to replace the item, a third to cover your overhead, and a third for you). You will not get the deals that big chain stores get on merchandise because the volume just won't be there in a small boutique. If you open a store, you should do it in a very prestigious neighborhood where money is not a factor, appeal to grandparents because parents know how fast their kids outgrow those cute pricey clothes, and everything has to be top quality to set it apart from department stores, and to justify the cost to the consumer. If you want to do a boutique, I would go heavy on customer service. Help parents match up outfits, gift wrap, liberal exchange policies, serve coffee and tea, have cushy chairs for disinterested people to sit down, have fashion shows, sponsor teas for little kids where they have to come dressed up in party dresses (which they will probably buy from you), and have etiquette classes. Anything to get customers coming into your store all the time. Order some precious bags with matching tissue and really pamper your buyers.
I live in California so I bought my merchandise in Los Angeles at the L.A. Mart, which is where all the stores buy their merchandise. You can also go to trade shows in Texas, LA, and New York. You will quickly learn which manufacturers you want to carry in your boutique; what price point your clientele can handle, and which ones carry fashion forward items that are not found anywhere else. I found that accessories were one of my most profitable items because they are low ticket items and they can really put a look together. I also carried shoes that were imported and had a distinctive look. Cute boys clothes were always in demand. My stores were very popular, but not very profitable by the time you factor in mark downs, sales, returns, and theft. I eventually sold them and they later went bankrupt because the new owners did not have an eye for it and tried to do things on the cheap with no special treatment for their customers. May I suggest trying out a kiosk at your local mall before you commit to a store, and do it around the holidays. Put together some home-from-the-hospital packages with a Onesie or sleeper, a matching blanket and a hat. Color coordinate the entire cart so it is irresistible to shoppers passing by. You could do any one of the following: grey/black/red/hot pink; you could do navy/green/purple/blue/lavender; you could do all safari colors - beige, brown, army green, yellow, orange, cream, with jungle or animal prints. Or you could do brights-teal, lime, yellow & coral. All of your accessories would be in similar mix & match colors; so you could do a lot in very little space on your kiosk.
Its hard to say what your start up costs would be not knowing anything about your area. Negotiating a lease can be very tricky and you should have an attorney look it over. Fixtures, inventory, bags,tags, hangers, etc., can really add up. You will always have to pay for employees, taxes of all kinds, advertising, and insurance in addition to your operating costs in a store. Like I said in the beginning, it was not easy.
Well, I hope this helped. Good luck to you in whatever you decide.

Hi, K. M. here. I too had that dream 3 years ago and now I own 2 boutiques and an online store. I love it and wouldn't trade it for the world! We have been very successful and have requests to open franchises all over the state. I would be happy to visit with you anytime. feel free to call or email me. also, if you would have any interest in opening one of our stores I would be happy to tell you about that also. you can check us out at www.healthybabyboutique.com

good luck :-)

I am in the same boat as you! The Sba.gov has been a great help for my husband and I!

I hope this helps you.

A. :)
Have a great day!