Meet Haley Ayers of Clothed in Dignity Boutique

Today we’d like to introduce you to Haley Ayers. 

Hi Haley, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
It all started when I was 10 years old. A 10-year-old little girl who wanted to learn how to sew to become a fashion designer. A 10-year-old little girl who admired Lauren Conrad. A 10-year-old little girl who had the dream of owning a boutique. I knew since I was 10 that I wanted to open a boutique a design all the clothes, so to pursue my dream, I attended Kent State University. During my sophomore year, I decided to switch my major from fashion design to fashion merchandising. Now it’s the summer going into my junior year, and in the midst of Covid, I decided to start an online boutique. It wasn’t my original plan to start out online, but I decided to take a leap of faith and take advantage of Covid with online shopping booming. I never expected at 21 years old that I would be starting my own business and taking a step towards my dream. Now, here I am at 23 years old getting to work towards my dream and aiming to own a brick-and-mortar. 

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Things never come easy. When starting the boutique, I struggled with trying to have enough inventory for events that I participate in. Even now there are times that I still struggle with that, but I continue to work a full-time job to put some money towards the business as well. Another struggle that I have is getting online orders. Most of my sales have been from events that I participate in throughout the year. Since October, I hired a marketing team to takeover my social media and since then, I’ve noticed a little bit of a difference in website visits and a few online orders. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Clothed in Dignity Boutique is an online boutique selling women’s clothing ranging in sizes from small to 3XL. I also sell accessories such as jewelry and home goods. Some earrings and home goods such as macrame products that I sell are made from other small businesses owned by women who make their own items. I enjoy meeting other women who are willing to allow me to sell their unique products through the boutique because I enjoy supporting locally-owned businesses, especially knowing who I am supporting. 

Something that I’ve wanted to make sure I stood out from other boutiques was to carry plus sizes. Most boutiques only carry small through large, so I wanted to be different and also cater towards plus-sized women because they also like to be trendy and stylish. I want any woman who buys from me to feel confident and feel good about themselves in what they’re wearing. 

I am also a faith-based boutique, and I’ve stood by that since I’ve started. I will continue to stand by that. I am so proud when I’m at an event and I have a customer who connects that name of the boutique with the bible verse because that is where I was inspired. Proverbs 31:25, “She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future,” has always been one of my favorite bible verses. 

Contact Info:

• Website: www.clothedindignityboutique.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/clothedndignityboutique
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClothednDignityBoutique

Image Credits
Kaycee Woodward