One of our favorite small business owners in Phoenix, Kim Kendall of Clothes Minded boutique, celebrated her one year anniversary this past Friday night and the Couture in the Suburbs team received the privilege to attend!
(Remember when we attended her grand opening party? Check out the story here.)
Clothes Minded is a Women’s and Men’s boutique that supports a variety of Phoenix Fashion Week designers. At her store, you can find everything from accessories, casual to formal clothing, and even home items. A few of the designers that she features include J. Haus, Living Dreams, Bri Seeley, and Melis Accessories. Friday night, she introduced a new designer into the eclectic mix, Heather whose pieces we got to model for the event.
What makes this line so fabulous is the fact that its extremely versatile. Heather has many neutral colors in her collection so you can pair the pieces with almost anything. The essence of of the Heather label appeals to women of all ages and compliments all body types.
What we love about Kim is her eye for style and entrepreneurial success. She has done an amazing job getting her business’s name out into the fashion scene and continues to support talented emerging designers. What makes her store so unique is that she also features local artist’s work on a regular basis.
So, when you take a stroll through the store, you get the opportunity to shop for the latest and greatest clothing items while admiring beautiful artwork at the same time. Not to mention, you will be greeted and assisted by some of the most personable bubbly employees in all of Phoenix (Felicia and Anya we are talking about you of course!)
We can’t wait to see what Clothes Minded has in store for the new year. Check out our interview with owner, Kim Kendall below to get the scoop on how she got started as a boutique owner and her up and coming plans for 2014!
Why did you decide to open your own boutique?
I opened my boutique because it was the next logical step in my career path, retail management usually leads to district manager, buyer or something that involves lots of travel and I still have a 10 year old. I absolutely adore boutique shopping. When we travel, my husband has to see a major league baseball game and I have to visit local boutiques.
What was your initial vision for your business? Have you reached that ideal vision yet?
My vision was to curate a collection of goods that people would travel to shop for because it was unique and great quality. I haven’t reached that vision yet because here in Arizona, there is a misconception about what boutiques are, many people think boutiques are consignment shops for some crazy reason.
It’s also difficult in a city this size to differentiate myself. Sometimes being different means people might not understand or accept what you’re doing. I’m trying so hard, working nonstop, to help people understand my vision which is why I relate to designers. I believe they have that same challenge, trying to make people understand their vision.
What made you decide to buy from Phoenix Fashion Week Designers?
I decided to buy from Phoenix Fashion Week designers because, in my initial planning, I wanted to own a store that was solely stocked with local and new designer goods. I wanted it to be a collective of those things and Brian actually warned me that it wouldn’t work, he had seen someone else try it and fail.
So, I hoped that I was doing something unique and as a business owner you have to find a niche, that was going to be mine. I also thought that if I promoted Phoenix Fashion Week and their designers, my reach would expand as would theirs because we would be working together to get the word out which is better than working alone.
How do you determine which styles of clothing fit best for your store and your customers?
Initially, I thought that my taste was unique and geared to a different demographic, a little more mature woman with disposable income and an interest in fashion, basically someone like myself. I’m hoping to find ladies who appreciate better quality merchandise and those who realize that better quality might mean a little higher price. And, with the huge resurgence of thrifting and consignment shopping, that has made my job more challenging. But honestly, I shop at all my area competitors and try to offer something different. I don’t want my store to look like any other boutique.
What are your goals for Clothes Minded this year? Any changes you plan to implement?
My goal is to expand my reach by growing my clientele base. I also intend to hold trunk shows at least once a month featuring different designer clothing and jewelry. I’ve got some ideas that I’m not sure if people will be receptive to because they are a little different, so I’m debating when to introduce them.
I plan to continue my quest for the right merchandise mixture, I really want to establish a strong customer following where I know exactly what my customers will buy before it even comes into the store.
I also plan to really promote our fashion parties, a concept where a woman can host a private party in the store with her friends and get rewarded by doing so. How great is that to have girl time with a personal stylist dedicated to helping you and your friends while the store is closed to the public?
Well Kim, you are doing an awesome job so far! Keep up the hard work and we absolutely know you will be successful.
Story by: Skyler Scott
Photos by: Danielle Fazio
