The transition to storeowner was an easy one for Marilyn Bernheim, who bought this boutique with her daughter, Bonnie Lewis, four years ago. After years as a children’s wear sales rep, she already understood product, her customer and how to sell. For 2010, the co-owners plan to expand their girls’ 7 to 16 department to include more jeans and tees for tweens slowly discovering their fashion identity. “We find now that children have their own minds and don’t want to dress the way mom wants,” Bernheim said. “We are trying to please the kids and make it easy on the parents.”
This shop’s hot pink and lime walls draw kids and adults alike inside to shop. With more than 300 styles of communion dresses and a plethora of other designs, owner Cookie Snyder makes certain her customers will find exactly what they’re after. Since buying the store seven years ago, Snyder feels she has discovered the recipe to success: paying attention to her customers’ needs. “If I don’t have what someone is looking for, I call [nearby] boutiques to see if they might have it,” she said. “My ultimate goal is to make the customer happy.”
When business partners Debbie McCusker and Kathy Koob purchased their 1,800-square-foot store 10 years ago, their goal was to make customers feel right at home. With a play area for kids, Kidrageous offers parents a stress-free shopping venue. While the store is upscale, Koob said the average price point has gone down over the past year. “We’re trying to find more products that stay within people’s budgets without sacrificing quality,” she noted. Kidrageous strives to offer customers what they won’t find elsewhere and boasts an extensive boys’ section that keeps them coming back.
