Today we’d like to introduce you to Scarlett DeCoster.
Scarlett, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I am the owner of Frankly My Dear Boutique. It has always been a dream of mine to have a business of my own and it has been a journey to get here! I have been in love with retail since I began working in a boutique after school when I was 16. This was is 2012 when social media was really on the rise and getting to work with that side of the business what really interesting and exciting to me.
I loved the atmosphere of working in a smaller space and getting one on one time with customers. In 2014, I had the opportunity to be on the opening team for Nordstrom The Woodlands. It was an amazing experience to work for a large corporate retail company. I was really instilled the importance of customer service and experience here. I worked for Nordstrom all through college until leaving in 2017 for a management opportunity. I graduated the University of Houston with my degree in Retail and Consumer Science in December of 2018. At this time, I was now working for a Boutique in Rice Village as store manager. It felt good to go back to my roots! I gained more experience in social media, events, and what the undertaking are of having a sole operation. It was an experience I do not take for granted because I learned so much and it made me really realize I would love to have a place of my own someday.
In February 2019, Frankly My Dear Boutique was born! I was a big leap to take but I have never looked back and am so happy to be here today.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
In all honesty, it has been a pretty smooth ride. I think I owe a lot of that to all my experience and research. I am someone who likes to make calculated decisions – so I knew what to expect going into this. Although I love to do things on a whim too, I definitely wanted to make sure I would have all the boxes checked before starting a business. I know I still have a lot more to learn but I am happy with where we are at today.
I think the biggest struggle is being patient for growth. You aren’t going to be a huge success overnight. It takes time, hard work, and patience. I know to get where I want to be, I have a lot more work to do!
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Frankly My Dear Boutique – what should we know?
Frankly My Dear Boutique is an online women’s clothings and accessories store. We offer trendy styles, comfy basics, fun graphic tees and accessories. I like to keep all our styles $50 and under. Our styles and affordability allow us to reach a wide range of customers, which is something that was really important to me.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
My family and husband have been extremely supportive and there for me through every step. I really could not have taken this leap without the encouragement from my husband, Cole. He motivated me to get this started and his desire to see me be successful really drives me to keep going. He is right there with me for every event, market, or pop up to help set up our space and he’s so good about giving opinions and advice. I am really so lucky to have my parents, grandparents, sister, husband – all as my biggest cheerleaders!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.shopfranklymydear.com
- Email: info@shopfranklymydear.com
- Instagram: @shopfranklymydear
- Facebook: Frankly My Dear Boutique
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