How I started...

Today's post is a little different for me!  I have had a lot of people ask me how I started this boutique and what I did!  I wanted to share with some of you how it all came about and what were some of the mistakes I made along the way!!

The idea of PipLey Vintage seriously came to my husband and I as we were driving in the car one day!  He is a CPA and I am a stay at home mom and we wanted to do something fun and exciting!  We are complete opposites as he is very reserved and analytical and I am a "balls to the wall" kind of girl!!  He always gets very nervous when talking to me about ideas, because he is just talking it out, while I am sitting there thinking let's do it!!

So as he was thinking this would be a fun idea in the future, I was already researching and looking at steps to start our boutique!!  He was very overwhelmed for about 3 months, and then jumped in with both feet!  

I first started researching boutiques that I found interesting and the direction I would like to go.  After that I wanted to add my own flair and personal touches to the store so I would stand out a little and have my own niche!  I love vintage style clothing as it is very feminine and perfectly made!  I also love newer pieces with a vintage feel, so that is where I started!  We picked our name based on our daughters names which are Finley and Pippa, and then started the hard task of finding designers and wholesalers that fit my style and the style of the store!  I have been to many fashion shows in Chicago (the nearest big city to me) and met a lot of cool designers.  After that we went for a loan and started filling up the store!!

What I thought would be the easy part actually turned out to be the hardest and that is getting our name out there!!  I am not a very tech savvy person and learning how to manage all the social media, SEO, and blogging was difficult for me! I started getting on You Tube and teaching myself how to use Twitter and Instagram, how to write blogs and how to promote!!  It has been a slow and very hard process, but so rewarding as I have "met" so many amazing people through the virtual world!!

Our biggest mistake when starting was PPC (pay per click) advertising!  It was such a waste of money and time to set up a PPC account.  Talk about seriously just watching your money run away for nothing!  We were getting a lot of hits on Google but no customers through it, so it was costing us a lot of money and nothing in return!  I also think another mistake was thinking we would be immediately successful!!  I am not a very patient person and like to see results immediately and get very disappointed when I don't see anything.  It was a hard couple months for me when we first started!  

As our little boutique continues to steadily grow I have one goal for myself and that is to never loose contact with our customers!  I really think aside from the clothing that meeting all of you, talking with you, and getting to know your styles is so fun for me!  I love what I do and continually strive to make PipLey Vintage your go to boutique for affordable fashion!  I will always strive to ship same day, and always be the one personally answering your emails, tweet, Facebook messages and blog comments!!

Love,

PipLey

If you have any other questions please don't hesitate to contact me through our store email!!