Baton Rouge’s independently owned boutiques and their buyers are turning to markets—massive wholesale buying events that can take place in cities such as New York, Dallas and Los Angeles—to find distinct, one-of-a-kind items that can’t be purchased anywhere else locally.
As 225 reports, through highly curated buying, local boutiques are creating unique shopping experiences for customers every time they walk through the door.
“Sometimes buying is a guessing game,” says Shanna Boudreaux of Rodeo Boutique. “You may invest into a trend that you think will be great, and it may not take off like you thought. In this business you have to be flexible.”
Before making the trip to a market, small retail buyers must know their budget, inventory and sales pace. They must also have knowledge of upcoming seasonal trends and, based on how items fare in the store, what their clientele wants to see.
For wholesale shopping, boutiques ultimately must understand their brand and customers, and try their best to sell, 225 writes.
Still, Blink Boutique owner Alexandra Zuniga says missing the mark on items at wholesale is fairly common, especially in the business of fast fashion.
“It’s just part of the business,” Zuniga says. “It’s like going shopping and loving it in the dressing room. Once you go home and put it on, you hate it.”
Sometimes even the hottest runway trends don’t fare well in smaller cities: Last fall, internationally popular styles such as pleats and flouncy hems didn’t move through the store as well as more casual staple pieces like flowy rompers and tunics.
