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!!

Vacation Fun!

Hey everyone,

So as most of you know Greg and I had our first No Kids vacation!!!  We flew down to visit a friend in Marco Island, FL while the girls stayed home and got completely spoiled by their Nana!!  I was a little worried about being so far away from them, but once I touched down in Florida I felt much better!!!

The weather was so beautiful for us all week long, and the scenery was much better!!  My husband who is not very fond of the sun and his friend had no idea what is was like to be on the beach with a woman who loves her sun!!  They both applied sun block about 4 times in a matter of 3 hours and still got fried, well some parts did!!  LOL....

Seriously how romantic is my husband for burning a heart shape on his chest!!  LOL!!!  Needless to say we did not use the spray sunblock anymore for the week and stuck to the lotion!

I however am very dark skinned so I got some amazing sun and enjoyed my whole week of shell looking, laying out, relaxing, sleeping in, an amazing 4 hour pontoon boat ride around the gulf and up to Naples, and above all....time with my man!!

We had so much fun, but by the end of the week I was definitely ready to come home and see my babies!  I missed them more than I thought I would.  My poor mother was probably exhausted by the time we got back, but never admitted it or showed it!  

Where are all of you vacationing this summer??  I would love to hear what you are doing and where you are going!!

Love,

PipLey

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Memorial Day Weekend

Hey everyone,

I know I am a little late posting this post, but I have been super busy as our store starts to grow!  What an amazing couple months PipLey Vintage has had!!  We have many new arrivals in, and our customer base just keeps on getting larger.  I couldn't thank God enough for blessing us with slow but constant growth this first year!
 

It was a little bit chilly in Indy this weekend for Memorial Day.  Usually it is so scorching hot at the race track that people are having heat strokes and I think this might be the first year where people had to wear jackets to the race!

We spent a nice quiet weekend as a family just having some quality time!  We went to my mom's house for a cookout on race day and Greg tried to teach the girls a little golf on Monday!  It is the sweetest thing seeing the man you love be such an amazing father!  I hope and pray that my girls find a man just like their daddy someday!

I hope everyone had an amazing and fun weekend like we did!  Don't forget to check out our store for some great new pieces!!

wearing our Sarah Scoop Maxi dress

wearing our Always Maylee dress (only 2 smalls left)

Love,
PipLey

Warm Weather!!!

Hey everyone,

I am so happy to say we are finally getting warm weather consistently!  I can't remember a time where it took Spring this long to arrive.  I don't know about you all, but I am so excited for a long weekend coming up!  I live in Indy so it is a very exciting time right now in the city with all the events leading up to the 500 race!  I love feeling everyone's energy and excitement.

me and my girls

new arrivals coming soon!!

Fin and Pippa playing in the puddles

Finley running through the sprinkler

wearing our Run Away top and Hidden Gardens skirt

wearing our Twisted Martini top

We have been pretty busy around here trying to grow our store and make sure we take full advantage of the nice weather!  We have some exciting things happening at the store right now with new arrivals coming in, and finally stepping out onto the scary ledge that is international shipping!!  We are growing so fast and I have only God and you (my supporters) to thank for that!

crazy little Pippa

Finley's first drawing

The girls have been having so much fun with the nicer weather and it has really helped mommy since we are not stuck inside all day!!  We have been going to the zoo, playing in sprinklers, going for long walks, and waiting for my dad to open his pool so we can start swimming!!

did not realize Pippa only had one shoe on till after the picture!

She loves putting my socks on and her sisters shoes!!

I hope you all have a great week and a fabulous weekend!!

Love,
PipLey

Happy Mother's Day!!

Hey everyone,

This is a special weekend for me and many other women out there!!  We finally get to be celebrated for all the things we do for our families!!  Seriously why is there not a Mother's Day once a month??  So my husband asked me what I wanted  for Mother's day this year and was surprised when I explained a whole day with no kids!!  He couldn't understand how I wanted a whole day away from the kids....lets see honey, do you have them 24-7...nope, do you get to listen to them scream all day long...nope, do you work in a nice quiet office where everyone listens to you...yep, well then that explains it!!!

I love my kids to death, but sometimes a woman needs some time ALONE, and not JUDGED for it!! I know all of you feel me on this one!!

Me and my Girls!!

I have been really busy working on getting the store growing and I am so happy to say that it really seems to be taking off lately!  It is such a struggle being a stay at home mom and run an online business as well!  I only have time to work when the girls are sleeping and that is not very long!  I love what I do and I really appreciate you all supporting me and my boutique!  THANK YOU!!

Here are some of our newest arrivals!

Love these!!!

Have a great weekend ladies and celebrate the women in your life!!

Love,

PipLey

Styling PipLey!!

Hey Lovelies!!

So I saw this on Facebook the other day and really thought it summed up my part of the country pretty well!!

 

Not sure about where you all are at, but I am so over this weather and teasing me with 80 degree days and then spitting snow 24 hours later!!!  It is so hard to wear adorable outfits when the weather is bi-polar!!

With that said on the days we had that were beautiful I finally got some pictures taken of me wearing our newer items, and paired them with other items in the store so you can build a whole look!!  I seriously love my job and playing dress up in my own store!

Here is one of my favorite looks for a lunch date or church.... I am wearing our Southern Belle Ombre skirt paired with our Whisper Softly Collar Top

The next look is great for a day on the town shopping, or hanging out with friends at a cookout!!  Pretty much an everyday look!  I am wearing in this photo our Fruit Strip maxi skirt, paired with our Simplicity Jersey top in mint and a vintage jean shirt!

Next is just a bundle of looks from our store!  I try and pair all our items and show you what they look like on!  Just follow our Facebook page or our Twitter to see many looks!!

I really hope you all have a great week, and enjoy some nice weather!!

Love,

PipLey

April Showers bring....snow??

Hey everyone,

I don't know about you, but I am so sick of this weather in Indy!!  Yesterday I was wearing a tank top and shorts (80 degrees) and today I am wearing jeans and a winter coat with snow flakes!!!  I am seriously in shock!  The girls and I were so excited to finally have some warm weather and play outside, go for walks, go to the park.....and then it drops 50 degrees in one day!  Welcome to good ol' MidWest!!

Anywho...rant over!  I have been getting some new items in for the store and really excited as the store has started taking off a bit!  I find myself packaging up orders more often and the girls get super excited when we get to head to the post office!  I can't thank you all enough for your continued support and ideas!  I love what I do and I really can't see myself stopping anytime soon!

My grandma who fell and broke her other hip is doing better.  She is back in the nursing home and has her good days and bad days.  I really never thought she was going to make it through another surgery and recovery, but she is one strong 93 year old!  I love that I get my strength and determination from her!

The girls are growing so fast and my little Pippa has really been talking a lot more lately.  I love hearing her put words together and trying to figure out what the heck she wants from me!  My little Finley is really getting into fashion and dance!  I couldn't be more proud of that!

Sorry this is a short post, but my kids are going crazy in the other room and I need to see what is going on!!  I will post some pics of our new items soon.  You can always check them out at our store PipLey Vintage

xoxo,
PipLey