It's time to announce our Boutique of the Month for March! Congratulations to Amanda Gerard, owner of Kylie's Closet! Amanda has been in business for three years and has kindly agreed to share some of her boutique experience with us today:
How did you get into sewing and what got you to open your own boutique?
How did you get into sewing and what got you to open your own boutique?
After years of creating for myself and family members, a dear friend of
mine convinced me to open my boutique to share all of my creations with the
general population! I started with a few small items, pillowcases, blankets and
have since expanded to Over The Top Boutique and One of A Kind Creations!
Being a mom and a boutique owner is hard. How do you find the time to fulfill orders, create new pieces, and run a business in general?
Most of the year I am able to schedule my 'working time' around my 3
(very small) kiddo's bedtimes. Sewing really is my 'stress relief' and I can
easily lose myself in a project or two! More recently I have been able to
include yours truly - Miss Kylie - in my sewing ventures, and at 5 years old she is already wanting her own sewing machine! She has been
able to assist in creating a few of her own pieces, including picking out the
fabric and working some of my bigger sewing machines.
Run us though your typical work-at-home day.
Some days I am lucky enough to send the kids off to daycare/school and
get a full day's work in! I generally work on one or two projects at a time,
making sure to spend a lot of attention on even the smallest details. On the days
that my babies stay home with me, I can easily move my sewing time to after
'bed-time'.
Where do you find inspiration?
My inspiration is definitely my little miss! She is so quirky and has a
definite style and mind all her own! Kylie will normally sit in front of my
wall of fabrics and pick one or two, or ten fabrics out and ask me to make
'something' with them. As long as it's cute, with ruffles and/or twirls, she is
ecstatic!
What is your favorite piece that you have ever created for your boutique?
My daughter's school did a dress up day to celebrate Shakespeare. My
introduction to CKC patterns was the Primrose (also my introduction to
shirring) which I used for her and three of her friends for costumes! I was introduced
to a few new techniques with that patterns and opened so many new doors for me
as a boutique owner and a crafty momma! This pattern has definitely been my
favorite up to this point.
If you could go back to when you first started your business and tell yourself about the most important thing you've learned as a business owner thus far, what would it be?
Never under-value your own work and time spent on your creations. The talent I have is among top-quality, and I need to have the confidence in myself to create the dresses and outfits that everyone adores!
Never under-value your own work and time spent on your creations. The talent I have is among top-quality, and I need to have the confidence in myself to create the dresses and outfits that everyone adores!
That's such great advice, thank you Amanda! Keep up the great work!
I truly loved looking through Amanda's albums and seeing what makes her creations unique. I definitely recommend that you do the same! You can find her here at Kylie's Closet.
Let's Create! ~ Kristen
