about greyleigh's

How did you open greyleigh’s & how can I start a boutique?

I get this question soo many times a week, so I decided to write a little about it. Unfortunately there is no “start list” or “to do list”, you just kind of learn what you need to do as you go. It took me about a year to get everything I needed together to open greyleigh’s. You need licenses, tax id numbers, insurance for shows, capital (money), I’ve got a little over $20,000 invested in this business so far, time, a lot of time, quality vendors, somewhere to keep all of the inventory and supplies, such as a store, a warehouse or a room or 2 in your house. You need racks, hangers, a pos system, a website, tags, business cards, etc. etc., I could go on forever. 

I’ve owned greyleigh’s for almost 4 years and I’m STILL buying stuff all the time and finding out new things that I never knew we needed. It’s a never ending thing. You’ll never have enough inventory, enough supplies, and enough time. It’s a lot of work, way more than I ever could’ve imagined. But it’s so much fun, it’s my dream. 

I’ve had a lot of people come to me for advice on how to get started and while I truly appreciate people looking to my business for advice, I had to do a lot of research before I started mine with no help from anyone. Let’s just say google is going to be your best friend for the next few years 😉 You are going to have to do the research and put in the work just the like rest of us business owners did. I definitely don’t want that to come across the wrong way, but the research you have to do to start and grow your business is one of the hardest parts and it’s just apart of the process. 

Owning a boutique is not for everyone. It’s not something you can just “try out”, because it looks fun. You have to be all in. Because depending on how big and how fast you grow, it will eventually be a full time job. So, I really don’t recommend opening one if you’re still in high school or college, or if you have another full time job. It’s a lot to keep up with on top of other things. You have to be 100% dedicated to your store. 

Also, just because you know fashion and what’s trendy does not mean you know how to run a business, owning a boutique is so much more than just knowing fashion. The "boutique" market is SO saturated right now that literally everyone and their sister owns an online boutique so it's very hard to find clothes that everyone isn't already selling. It's hard to compete with others, but, you have to find your own way to stand out and make it your own. Most people think if you open up your own business you’ll immediately be profiting. But what they don’t know or think about is how much money business owners spend to keep it afloat. I’ve always heard it takes around 5 years to start profiting from a business so keep that in mind. If you’re looking for a job to “make” money, this is not the job for you, at least for the first 3-5 years anyways. 

So, to everyone that asks me how we opened, that’s the best answer/word of advice I can give you. And I wish you the best of luck if you’re considering opening one! Thank you for supporting my dream!

xoxo, Kallie

Greyleigh's is an online + brick and mortar storefront for women created by Kallie Daniel. After years of selling my pre-owned clothes on Instagram I was determined to follow my dream and launch my online boutique for all women to shop high-quality fashion at affordable prices. 

 

Every item is hand picked by Kallie. Each and every item reflects my personal style: cute + comfy. I’m very passionate about fashion and finding looks to fit every budget. At greyleigh's, the goal is that you don't have to break the bank to dress well! You can follow me on Instagram @itskalliebabbyy