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	<title>Clothing Boutique Blog &#187; boutique owners</title>
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	<description>A blog for clothing boutique owners sponsored by Only Garment Racks</description>
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		<title>Business Tips for New Store Owners</title>
		<link>http://www.onlygarmentracks.com/wp/2011/02/business-tips-for-new-store-owners/</link>
		<comments>http://www.onlygarmentracks.com/wp/2011/02/business-tips-for-new-store-owners/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Feb 2011 04:12:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Boutique Branding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Boutique Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Boutique Start Up]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[boutique industry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[boutique owners]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[clothing rack]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[clothing racks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[garment rack]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[running a boutique]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.onlygarmentracks.com/wp/2011/02/business-tips-for-new-store-owners/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Information on how to run a successful boutique. Space can be made using the right clothing rack or <a href="http://onlygarmentracks.com/ecommerce/home/onlygarmentracks/"title="Clothing Racks">clothing racks</a>.
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>When you own a boutique, there are many unique struggles that you will face.  Most boutique owners are heavily and personally invested in the success of their boutique.  With economic downturns, heavy overhead costs, and stiff competition, boutiques really need to stay on their game.  Here are some tips for you to keep your store on the cutting edge.  Stay competitive, reduce costs, and promote yourself in a way that drives success.</p>
<p>1)  Sometimes it’s hard to take an objective look at your own business, mainly because you have put so much of your personality and dreams into your work.  Another reason is that small boutiques may gain a lot of their personality from areas that other, bigger, businesses would have cut due to overhead.  Try to take a realistic look at your expenditures.  You may even decide to hire a retail consultant or financial consultant to get unbiased opinions.  </p>
<p>2)  Reevaluate your business goals.  Sometimes it’s hard to stay on track and be true to your initial vision.  Make sure that you have a clear and concise business plan.  Creating a motto can be helpful.  As you make decisions, always ask yourself if the decision is consistent with the goal.  If it’s not, ditch it and move on.  Unnecessary changes or ones that are not conducive to a successful business can drain your wallet and reap little benefit.  </p>
<p>3)  Boutiques are in a position where they want to grow, but they don’t necessarily want to become a chain.  Retaining your small business charm can be challenging as sales pick up.  You can help your boutique business by marketing yourself as a small local business.  You can win customers over by encouraging them to support their town’s small businesses as opposed to spending all of the town’s money in giant corporate stores that send their money elsewhere.  Being active in the community is a great way to build a reputation without spending any money.</p>
<p>4)  You can promote yourself for free by staying active on social networking sites.  Offering special deals to your fans and followers will encourage them to spread the word about your business.  Using the internet to gain customer loyalty is an easy way to market without spending a lot of money.  </p>
<p>5)  You can save money and make more money by rearranging your boutique.  Coming up with a way to sell more merchandise without moving into a bigger space, is key.  A shop fitter or interior designer may be able to help you come up with the best arrangement for your <a href="http://onlygarmentracks.com/ecommerce/home/onlygarmentracks/"title="Clothing Racks">clothing racks</a>.  If you have only round clothing racks, they may be taking up more room than you have.  Take a look at a garment rack that makes the best use of the space that you have.  A clothing rack that allows you to display more garments in less space can make a world of difference.</p>
<p><strong>About the Author: </strong>John Garvey is on the staff of Only Garment Racks, a leading online source of <a  href="http://onlygarmentracks.com"title="Clothing Racks">clothing racks</a> including garment racks. Find a high quality <a href="http://onlygarmentracks.com/ecommerce/home/onlygarmentracks/"title="Clothing Rack">clothing rack</a> or garment rack at http://www.onlygarmentracks.com.</p>
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		<title>How to Survive the Boutique Industry</title>
		<link>http://www.onlygarmentracks.com/wp/2010/01/how-to-survive-the-boutique-industry/</link>
		<comments>http://www.onlygarmentracks.com/wp/2010/01/how-to-survive-the-boutique-industry/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 26 Jan 2010 08:56:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Boutique Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Boutique News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Boutique Start Up]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[boutique industry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[boutique owners]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[clothing rack]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[clothing racks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[garment rack]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[running a boutique]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.onlygarmentracks.com/wp/?p=95</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Information on how to run a successful boutique. Space can be made using the right clothing rack or <a href="http://onlygarmentracks.com/ecommerce/home/onlygarmentracks/"title="Clothing Racks">clothing racks</a>.
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>When you own a boutique, there are many unique struggles that you will face.  Most boutique owners are heavily and personally invested in the success of their boutique.  With economic downturns, heavy overhead costs, and stiff competition, boutiques really need to stay on their game.  Here are some tips for you to keep your store on the cutting edge.  Stay competitive, reduce costs, and promote yourself in a way that drives success.</p>
<p>1)  Sometimes it’s hard to take an objective look at your own business, mainly because you have put so much of your personality and dreams into your work.  Another reason is that small boutiques may gain a lot of their personality from areas that other, bigger, businesses would have cut due to overhead.  Try to take a realistic look at your expenditures.  You may even decide to hire a retail consultant or financial consultant to get unbiased opinions.  </p>
<p>2)  Reevaluate your business goals.  Sometimes it’s hard to stay on track and be true to your initial vision.  Make sure that you have a clear and concise business plan.  Creating a motto can be helpful.  As you make decisions, always ask yourself if the decision is consistent with the goal.  If it’s not, ditch it and move on.  Unnecessary changes or ones that are not conducive to a successful business can drain your wallet and reap little benefit.  </p>
<p>3)  Boutiques are in a position where they want to grow, but they don’t necessarily want to become a chain.  Retaining your small business charm can be challenging as sales pick up.  You can help your boutique business by marketing yourself as a small local business.  You can win customers over by encouraging them to support their town’s small businesses as opposed to spending all of the town’s money in giant corporate stores that send their money elsewhere.  Being active in the community is a great way to build a reputation without spending any money.</p>
<p>4)  You can promote yourself for free by staying active on social networking sites.  Offering special deals to your fans and followers will encourage them to spread the word about your business.  Using the internet to gain customer loyalty is an easy way to market without spending a lot of money.  </p>
<p>5)  You can save money and make more money by rearranging your boutique.  Coming up with a way to sell more merchandise without moving into a bigger space, is key.  A shop fitter or interior designer may be able to help you come up with the best arrangement for your <a href="http://onlygarmentracks.com/ecommerce/home/onlygarmentracks/"title="Clothing Racks">clothing racks</a>.  If you have only round clothing racks, they may be taking up more room than you have.  Take a look at a <a href="http://onlygarmentracks.com/ecommerce/home/onlygarmentracks/"title="Garment Rack">garment rack</a> that makes the best use of the space that you have.  A clothing rack that allows you to display more garments in less space can make a world of difference.</p>
<p>About the Author: John Garvey is on the staff of Only Garment Racks, a leading online source of <a  href="http://onlygarmentracks.com"title="Clothing Racks">clothing racks</a> including garment racks. Find a high quality <a href="http://onlygarmentracks.com/ecommerce/home/onlygarmentracks/"title="Garment Rack">garment rack</a> or clothing rack at http://www.onlygarmentracks.com.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<item>
		<title>Black Friday Boutique Sales</title>
		<link>http://www.onlygarmentracks.com/wp/2009/11/black-friday-boutique-sales/</link>
		<comments>http://www.onlygarmentracks.com/wp/2009/11/black-friday-boutique-sales/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:05:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Boutique News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Boutique Promotions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[black friday]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[black friday advice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[boutique black friday]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[boutique owners]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[clothing racks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[garment rack]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[garment racks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[retail black friday]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.onlygarmentracks.com/wp/?p=64</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Boutique owners snag Black Friday traffic!  A <a href="http://onlygarmentracks.com/ecommerce/home/onlygarmentracks/"title="Garment Rack">garment rack</a> must be neat, organized and stocked all day.  Your garment racks say a lot about your business.
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The Friday after Thanksgiving is called “Black Friday”.  This is the day when retail businesses hope to go from being in the “red” to being in the “black”, turning a profit for their business for the first time in the year.  Some businesses report making 70% of their profit for the year in the few weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  </p>
<p>Black Friday is an important day for retailers.  This day marks the beginning of the Christmas shopping season.  Advertisers have made Black Friday a very popular shopping day.  The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade features the arrival of Santa and the Christmas season.  Business owners know that people will be spending a lot of money the day after Thanksgiving, so they strive to get as much of that business as possible.</p>
<p>If you run a boutique, you will also want to prepare for this momentous event.  Many stores open really early, as early as 4:00 AM to let shoppers in.  They advertise special deals for weeks before the event.  If you want to get in on the action, then you need to make sure that your customers and potential customers know that they will be getting great deals when they shop in your boutique on Black Friday.  </p>
<p>Competition will be steep.  Most people will determine what they are going to buy and from what stores before they go out shopping.  You may need to advertise exact prices, even if you normally don’t.  Many companies will list on their web site a Black Friday list, revealing what will be on sale and for how much.  However, they will usually only do this at the last minute because they are worried that their competitors will simply beat their prices and get all the business from savvy shoppers.  But, boutiques have unique apparel and gifts that aren’t usually going to be sold at the competitions’ boutiques.  So, you can reveal some of your prices without worrying about other companies undercutting you.  </p>
<p>Getting the word out is so important for boutiques because you will be competing with the big department stores for shoppers’ time.  Sending out coupons or e-mails with printable coupons is a good way to get on shoppers’ agendas.    Be prepared for a crowd by having plenty of workers on hand.  If you decide to open early to get some of the die-hard Black Friday shoppers, offer your employees special incentives, breakfast, coffee, and other perks to ensure that they are prepared for a long hard day.  </p>
<p>Stress the fact that garment racks and <a href="http://onlygarmentracks.com/ecommerce/home/onlygarmentracks/"title="Clothing Racks">clothing racks</a> need to be kept stocked and straight all day.  Make sure you have enough inventory on hand so that you don’t miss out on sales.  Full displays sell more items.  An organized <a href="http://onlygarmentracks.com/ecommerce/home/onlygarmentracks/"title="Garment Rack">garment rack</a> display looks attractive and appealing.  Your signage, presentation, organization, and communication are so important.    </p>
<p>After Black Friday, you can have a Cyber Monday sale to sell what you didn’t on Friday.  The Monday after Thanksgiving is a huge online shopping day.  People have determined what they need to buy that they didn’t get on Black Friday, or they’ve simply decided to avoid the crowds.  Make sure that you tell your Black Friday shoppers about the Cyber Monday sale when they are leaving.  </p>
<p>If you don’t make as much as you had hoped, there are still a few weeks before Christmas.  Retailers still make a big percentage of their money for the year on the few days before Christmas.  </p>
<p><strong>About the Author:</strong> John Garvey is on the staff of Only Garment Racks, a leading online source of <a  href="http://onlygarmentracks.com"title="Garment Racks">clothing racks</a> including garment racks. Find a high quality <a href="http://onlygarmentracks.com/ecommerce/home/onlygarmentracks/"title="Garment Rack">garment rack</a> or clothing rack at http://www.onlygarmentracks.com.</p>
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