Lisa McGuthry, owner of Our Favorite Things boutique, loves her customers. In fact, they are what motivated her to open her store - she wanted to help women find flattering, comfortable, affordable clothing and accessories. The stylish entrepreneur was kind enough to answer some questions for us about opening her boutique, helping her customers and local makers, and her favorite fashion advice. See what she had to say below:
What made you decide to open Our Favorite Things?
I decided to open my own boutique because I was filling a much-needed niche in the community for women who come in all shapes and sizes who can't find comfortable and affordable clothing and accessories that make them look, feel, and be beautiful! I am also dedicated to building community, so my team and I decided to offer fair trade clothing and select products from local entrepreneurs. This gives the local entrepreneurs the opportunity to have a brick and mortar store without all the overhead. It's beneficial for us because we have local merchandise on hand for our niche market.
How do you decide what products to offer?
We collectively purchase all of our clothing from manufacturers. We attend trade shows where we meet directly with manufacturers, thus keeping our prices reasonable and ensuring that the money goes directly to the people creating the product. The majority of our clothing is one size fits all and truly contours to all body shapes and sizes. Our customers absolutely love this. Our clothing is also very comfortable and chic. It can be worn in many settings; this is another plus for us and our customers.
The selection of local entrepreneur partners is very simple: if I love the product, and I get a feel that our customers will as well, we discuss the opportunity with the entrepreneur. Many people reach out to us to have their products in our store, but not everyone is a good fit. We do offer all local entrepreneurs an opportunity to showcase their businesses in our event center on Pop up Shop Wednesday (5-9 p.m.), regardless of whether or not their products are showcased in our stores. We firmly believe in building community and sustainabilty through entrepreneurship.
What advice do you give your customers in terms of finding the right product for them?
We build our business through relationships with our customers. I advise customers to purchase products and clothing that makes them feel good. We also offer personal shopping for our customers for special events that they may attend. This ensures that they will not only be comfortable but completely satisfied with their purchases.
What advice would you give to someone starting a fashion-related business in Cleveland?
I would advise them to do their research what need are they filling. Who is their customer? What is their niche? How can they add value to their customer? All these things are very important when opening a business, and especially a fashion-related business, when so many brick and mortar stores are closing. I would tell them to be relentless and dominate in their lane. Build relationships with their customers.
What is the best piece of style advice you've ever received?
The best piece of advice that I have ever received is to be my authentic self and to love what I do and wear. When you love what you do, it does not feel like work ever. I absolutely love my customers and making them look, feel and be beautiful! I know that I add value to their lives and this makes me extremely happy!
Learn more about Our Favorite Things (and do a little online shopping!) at www.ourfavoritethingscle.com
Our Favorite Things is a member of The Keep It Local Project. The Keep It Local Project connects local people to local businesses in the Greater Cleveland area that drive our economy. To learn more, visit www.keepitlocalcleveland.com.