Today we’d like to introduce you to Nancy Rembold.
Hi Nancy, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I am a West Side Cincinnati mom, wife, marketing professional and passionate entrepreneur!
I opened LouLou’s almost 12 years ago, simply because I wanted a boutique experience in my local neighborhood. I have been in market research for 25+ years, so know that the best new concepts are ones that fulfill a specific need or tension – and I had a tension of not being able to shop small in my own neighborhood.
I started with more of a capsule wardrobe concept – your daily uniform of leggings, sweaters, etc.. However, based on customer feedback they also wanted a place they could pop into on Friday for a cute Girls Night Out top – but not pay typical boutique prices. Over the past 12 years we have evolved into our mission statement: your one stop shopping source for both FUN + FUNCTION. Part of “fun” is a great selection of giftware from brands like Nora Fleming, Happy Everything, Mud Pie, Sweet Water Decor.
Over the past year, I have also applied my marketing background to my own brand – conducting focus groups, ideation sessions and truly LISTENING to what customers want. As any successful brand will tell you – developing empathy for your customers is simply smart business. Your customers want to be HEARD! and I wanted to let them know LouLou’s is listening!
A key growth strategy and personal passion – collaborating with other small businesses in my community. When you work together it makes magic happen! Many have been featured in your online magazine — and are simply amazing women!!
The most critical to our growth is the LouLou’s family – most have been with us since we opened. Our customers come to LouLou’s knowing they will be greeted with a warm smile, a friendly hello and recommendations on how to embrace or even expand their style. THEY are the reason people keep coming back!
In summary – We try to keep things simple at LouLou’s – as fashion should not be complicated!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not been a smooth road – but I use these “bumps” in the road as learning opportunities. For example, buying things that simply were not right for my target market (too high of price points, not the RIGHT trend for my market, etc..).
We tried to create our own website.. then went to a more subscription service – but found these solutions were simply not right for us. Managing in-store and online inventory is very difficult. However, I am happy to report we found a POS vendor who is helping us get our online store up in 2022. We hope to launch in tandem with our 12th Anniversary in February/March.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
We are a small boutique on the West Side of Cincinnati. We specialize in FUN + FUNCTION – creating the opportunity to build a capsule wardrobe with our basics or grab a cute GNO top! The key has been creating the right marketing mix for our target/demographic – quality PRODUCTS, affordable PRICES and creative PROMOTIONS.
What sets us apart. – we truly know our customers by name! And we know their style and are able to curate looks just for them. We know that not every trend is meant for everyone – and we don’t push that on our customers.
We are almost like their “shopping buddy” – we make it feel like you are shopping with a friend at LouLou’s! We love when people expand their style, but we also make sure you get honest feedback on what works and doesn’t for you.
I am most proud of our loyal customers and LouLou’s family — who have been with us for 12 years! Together, we have created a store that feels like HOME!
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I feel I have been EXTREMELY lucky to have the support system that I do! My husband, Brent, and our 2 kids (Abby & Grant) have been extremely supportive. Many weekends have been spent at the store – as Brent will tell you, he has done a LOT of laundry over the years. Without the support of family (sisters, brother, in-laws, etc..), this simply would not have happened!!
I am also lucky to have such a great staff (Jan, Linda, Amy, Ann Marie, Peg, Kylee & Darla) and a customer base that feel like family!
Contact Info:
- Email: nancy@shoploulous.com
- Website: shoploulous.com (coming soon!)
- Instagram: shoploulous
Image Credits
Image Credits: Mary Fox Kirby
