Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicolette Winner.
Hi Nicolette, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My journey into entrepreneurship started shortly after I chose to exit a successful nonprofit career. I was burned out, and I needed to find a way of generating income that fulfilled me professionally while working more integrally with my role as a wife and mother to two young sons. A friend introduced me to a business opportunity that would allow me to create my boutique while working with only one vendor, and I liked the model it was based upon.
Five years later, a top seller for that vendor nationwide, I decided to branch out and create my own boutique experience. It was a terrifying move, but I love what I do. I handpick each of the styles you see in our shops, carefully selecting vendors based on quality and cut. The overall look and feel have been carefully crafted, and even the music is selected with my target customer base in mind. I’ve been in business for seven and a half years, and I can’t imagine doing anything else for a very long time.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Every day is a new day and a new challenge. In seven and a half years, I’ve moved from a home-based pop-up party model to owning two brick-and-mortar boutiques and an extensive website. Being a small business owner means you do it all – marketing, finance, human resources, cleaning, inventory management, buying, business planning, and more. I’m constantly learning new skills and honing the ones already in my toolbox. I’ve also had to learn to delegate more, and I hire out for tasks that require more technical skill sets.
You have to be ready for everything! Some of the more interesting challenges I’ve faced include creating partnerships with other local businesses, getting stuck when I couldn’t back up a trailer at a pop-up party, having all of my clothing racks fall one by one from my walls, hosting a food truck on-site through a tornado, and pushing our city to extend its DORA (designated outdoor refreshment area) to include our business. There have been tears, but there has also been laughter. I’ve dubbed my boutiques my third and fourth babies, and they truly are labors of love.
As you know, we’re big fans of the unboxed boutique. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
unboxed boutique is not your average boutique… We offer a unique shopping experience for women of all shapes, sizes, and ages. The most obvious difference you’ll notice in our boutique is that all of our styles are offered in sizes small through 3X. We don’t have separate “regular” and “plus” sections. This matters because part of the fun of shopping is going with your friends and finding treasures together, and you can’t do that in most stores if your group includes both a size 2 and 22.
Another difference is that we offer a limited number of items in sizes 4X to 6X. These aren’t the same items as our other sizes, but that is exclusive because vendors simply don’t make the same products. Yet. (We’re always pushing them to extend sizing.) Our shops utilize models from the community, average women in a wide array of shapes and sizes. We rotate models frequently, and none of these women are “professionals”.
We make sure we show each style in an S/M, L/XL, and 2X/3X so customers can visualize what each piece will look like on their body type. I also photograph myself occasionally, which is uncomfortable for me because I don’t always like having my photo taken. I recognize, however, that customers identify with my imperfections. They appreciate that I’m a size 22 with the same struggles they face, and it creates a real sense of community between our business and our shoppers.
We are open 7 days a week, which stands out a bit in a typical downtown setting. (If you’re paying rent, why not be open?) We employ a variety of women who truly stand behind our brand, and they are our Retail Therapists. They are invaluable in making our business a success, and they define what customer service should look like in a boutique.
Our website is extensive, offering both shipping nationwide and local pick-up. We provide customers with options to pay via Sezzle, AfterPay, PayPal, credit card, and cash. Customers stay in touch with our business via text alerts, email blasts, TikTok, Instagram, our Facebook business page, and an active Facebook VIP group.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
I don’t view our shops as just a business… We are partners in the communities we serve. We are always looking for ways to collaborate with other businesses and organizations, and we want to be our communities’ biggest cheerleaders. Downtowns have seen a renaissance over the past couple of years, and we’re here for it. Our heart and soul go into everything we do, and we hope our customers and communities overall know how very much we appreciate them.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.unboxedboutique.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/unboxedboutique
- Facebook: facebook.com/unboxedboutique
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@unboxedboutique
