How Regional Markets Can Benefit Your Business with Tara Thorn, Cedar and Cypress Designs

Let's talk about your business strategy and the juicy details of what actually works, from mainstream fashion to fashion on Main street and the entire ecosystem behind it. How do we scale your company and do it with the balance and the happiness that we all seek? Let's hear from those insiders, experts, and strategists that actually make it happen. I'm your host, Ashley Alderson from the Boutique Hub, and I can't wait to chat.

Hey, guys.

Welcome back to the podcast this week. I am so pumped.

Tara, you and I have talked about.

Recording this podcast for quite some time, and we're finally sealing the deal today.

Yes. I'm so excited. Finally doing it. It's great to be able to catch up with you, not in a market like Rush situation when we're both running off in different directions. So thanks for having me.

Yeah, you're so welcome. So the topic of conversation today, I'm so excited to dig deep into, and those of you who are members of the Hub, you maybe have seen me have this conversation in the groups just about our landscape of markets today. There are so many markets. There's many more than we're used to seeing. And I'm a huge advocate for going to market. FYI, I think everybody in business, no matter what you sell, no matter what level of business you're at, I think you need to go for a number of reasons, which we can get into. But really the purpose of today is to talk about regional markets, which is something you're highly familiar with. So as we get into that conversation, Tara, would you give me a little bit of backstory? How did you become familiar with regional markets? I know you have experience in all aspects of this industry. So tell me a little bit about your story to get started.

Yeah. So I lived in Haiti for five years and then started my company when I left and was very small and really had my roots started at a regional market, specifically the Minneapolis Mart, which is one of the oldest markets in the US we're over 40 years old. A lot of people know it as Amaga, which is what we started as, and now we've rebranded. We're in Minneapolis Martin. And it really was instrumental in growing my business, where I had no idea what I was doing. And it was such, like, a comfortable, easy way. Less stress. I mean, you look at a small regional market like Minneapolis Mart, that's one floor, and then you go to somewhere like Dallas or Atlanta, and we stand at the bottom and we look up and we're like, oh, my gosh, it's Very intimidating, very exciting and fun. But so I started my jewelry brand. Like I said, we're. We're handmade in Haiti, and so we support artisans there. We're fair trade certified and all those great things. And we work directly with our artisans. And I just, I have a background in sign language interpretation, which means I'm a sign language interpreter for the deaf. Not business at all. And I grew, you know, started growing. I was very part time, time with my business, and then I opened a boutique, and then eventually I went full time. And now we have a showroom at the Minneapolis Mart as well as Dallas. And then we do the gift show in Atlanta as well. So I've been like this whole journey, but the Minneapolis Mart, this little, you know, kind, soft, loving, Midwest, gentle baby, really helped me grow.

I think that's so important because, you.

Know, it is overwhelming both as a buyer and as an exhibitor. When you're going to, I'll say Dallas or Atlanta or Vegas or New York for the very first time. So, going back to Minneapolis, tell me more about regional markets. There's a number of regional markets around the country, but what, again, what sets them apart from some of these bigger markets, in your opinion?

Yeah, so regional market is great. So can I give you both perspectives? Like, what's great as a buyer and what's great is like a brand. So for a buyer, because I also have a gift store, so we do a lot of buying. It's great because you can find a lot of, like, niche things or regional things. So I. People can walk in and I say, oh, that's a local brand. People love that. Or I can, you know, say, oh, that's, you know, we're Midwest, so Minnesota, so we have a lot of, like, Nordic stuff. People here want that. And our, our showrooms have that, you know, not all of them, obviously, but there's specific ones. So you can find what's great regionally for you. I mean, take that to Dallas. How many times you walk into a Dallas showroom and you see skulls and Southwest stuff and turquoise? You know, that's very regional. Dallas has been called both a national and a regional market, you know, is also very regional. And so Minneapolis, like, we're great for the Midwest. We have your Midwest graphics, We have your, you know, your beanies or toboggans or whatever you want to call them, you know, your hats. You get very regional stuff for your store, which is fantastic. And then for me, as a seller, it's great because it's comfortable and it's not Very overwhelming. You can do it all in one day. And for us, like, this is how I explain it to some of my. Some of the people that are with me, like, when they. When they're thinking about joining our showroom. Because I. I have a showroom. You know, In Atlanta, there's 16 floors, and not everybody is going to walk every floor. But at the Minneapolis Mart, every single person that comes to the mart is going to walk in your showroom. So you're seeing everyone. And that, I think, is huge. And it can really translate into more. More visibility and more buyers. And often I'll do bigger numbers at the Minneapolis Mart just because I'm seeing more people. And I'm not lost in the shuffle saying that I also love the big markets like Atlanta, so I'm a fan of everything, which gets me in trouble.

Let's talk about that, though, specific to 2024 and this conversation of, gosh, there's so many markets, and I'm hearing both brands and retailers say, I'm really having to pick and choose where I go and when I go because it's expensive to travel right now. So in your opinion, what's a good. What's a good timeline or mix of when I would go to a regional market versus when I would go to a national market?

I think this is my experience. So if we break it down, I'm going to specifically talk about, like, Minneapolis, Atlanta and Dallas. So I love Atlanta gift, January and July, I always think people should go to those because you find the most unique and interesting things. I love Dallas for apparel, so, you know, that's great when you're looking for spring. And then I love Minneapolis and regional markets to fill in in between. So. So there are a lot of markets to choose from. And I think that as you sit down and you're planning out your calendar, it's so important to look through all of them and say, okay, I've got to go to this one for gift, you know, because I'm. I'm hearing a lot of, like, boutiques adding in gift and being like, oh, we were only clothes, but now we're adding in gifts. So now we've got gift and apparel, plus regional and national. Like, there's just so many layers to it. It's such an onion. And you just kind of have to figure out what's right for you. I mean, in Minneapolis, we have people come from Arizona, we have people come from the east coast because we have that specific item that they're looking for or those smaller unique things or Local. So I think that it's good to go to those big ones, but it's also good to plan in those fillers in between. We have six markets a year in Minneapolis. Atlanta has the two big ones. Dallas is a lot more. I guess Atlanta has apparel, too. So it's just important, I think, to figure out, okay, here I'm gonna go gift shopping. Here I'm gonna go apparel shopping, and here I need some regional items and just to kind of plan out your.

Year, I think you bring up a really good point of how specific this is to what you sell. So you have a gift store. Right. So the gift markets are critical, and there's a number of apparel stores who. The apparel markets are critical. But what's beautiful, I think specifically, since COVID is, like you said, the layers of the onion, they're really interwoven. I see a number of gift stores coming to apparel markets right now and a number of apparel stores going to gift markets. And there is something for everyone at both.

Yes.

Just wherever you are and what has been your standard? I just challenge you to get out of the norm and try to go to, you know, a gift or an apparel, depending on what you are, whatever's opposite of you. In Minneapolis, specifically, is there both gift and apparel?

Yeah, we have gift and apparel, which is fantastic. We have some really great. Like my. My shirt I got at Minneapolis Martin. My store has both gift and apparel. And so I can find really unique brands because I know it's highly curated because, you know, you want to give the best. And so we have a highly curated brands. We have great brands like Tribal. We have international brands, all sorts of stuff there. And then we have obviously the gift rooms as well, so you can find both. And I don't know if you've noticed, but a lot of gift lines are also dabbling in apparel.

Yeah, all the time.

Yeah. Which is super interesting to me. The crossover between both the boutiques and the brands.

Yes, very much so.

One of my favorite things that we do throughout the year at the Boutique hub is getting together in person and networking and sharing wins, but also learning from some of the best experts in our industry and some of the best boutique owners in our industry. And that's what we do at the Boutique Summit. I hope you have saved the date June 9th and 10th in Dallas, Texas, for the Boutique Summit. It is our industry's biggest gathering of the year. This year we have over 30 speakers led by some amazing keynotes, including the best leadership speaker and author. You guys, I'm giddy With excitement, it's John Acuff. Please read his books or look him up if you have not already. Also, my friend Dominique Broadway digging into the finances. Lynn Graff talking about really mastering your brand and your story, more crucial now than ever. And of course, I'll be dropping a few keynotes as well, you guys. This year, the theme is the Rising Phoenix, and it couldn't be more timely for our industry.

So I hope to see you there.

Snag a ticket, save the day. June 9th and 10th, 2024, in Dallas.

Texas, as we're talking about Minneapolis Smart. And you're like, where is there others? Again, I want to just remind you this conversation is there's a number of them. Chicago is another big one in the Midwest. I know there's a number in the South. And we have a list. I will put this in the show notes for you guys today, but it's a list of all of the markets regional and national in the United States. And I believe we have a list of out of the United States as well that I'll link up in the show notes. It's free. You guys can download it. So everyone knows when all of these markets are as well. One thing, Tara, I wanted to ask you about that. I don't know, especially if you're a newer store that you have this opportunity for, but when you go to a regional market, then you build that relationship again with a rep or the brand owner, but that opens up an opportunity for the reps to come and visit you. And so, yeah, going to the market, but they're coming to see you. If someone isn't familiar with that, talk to me about that relationship and that opportunity.

Yeah, so that's interesting because I see that as like an older rep model. Like, that's what was happening before we had fair and, and all of these things is a rep would come up to your store and have all their catalogs that they have and, you know, kind of tell you what the best sellers were. And basically they brought the market or the showroom to you. And I am a, like the, the community over competition. Like, I'm a person person. I love people and I love relationships. And I think that fostering those relationships, I can't even tell you how many times I've cried with, I've cried in my store, I've cried in my showroom. Like, I, I'm a crier. But that, that connection that you're able to make with people is so important. And at Minneapolis Mart, we have a lot of people that are Brand new stores that end up shopping and are like, I mean, it's a lot of money to spend to go to a national market and then be so overwhelmed and just like kind of sit in your hotel or just be shell shocked. But people like, I've had conversations where people are like, you are so kind. And I'm like, you want to go here? You want to do this? You want to do this? And they're like, thank you. Like, just. Thank you for just helping me through this process. Because we all know it's a process to open a, to open a brand, open a boutique, to go online, whatever it is that you're doing. It's a, It's a process. And to be able to have a conversation, one on. In a, In a calm setting. You know, I think about sometimes going to the bigger markets and there's so many people around him like, can I walk in here? I don't have an appointment. I don't know if I. If can I talk to you? And so there, there's something to be said for like the, you know, it's like being in a, in a small school versus a big school.

You know, I love that analogy. And yeah, I have to give props to so many boutique hub brands because, I mean, I might be like prejudiced here, but I think that the members of the boutique hub, the brands specifically, are the most welcoming out of anybody in the building. Like, if you're a member of the boutique hub and you have the little hub sign. Right. Which all hub brands do. Like, if you're a buyer, look for that. Because typically those brands are the ones who go, I know, community over competition. And I know what it means to be welcoming to somebody who might be new here.

Yeah.

First timer to this market. And so I think that's a great opportunity. And to your point, it's one thing to be overwhelmed when you go through the temp floors and you can wander in and out and look at all the booths, like, that's really easy and low friction. But when you go up to a showroom level and there's doors and windows, it feels sometimes like junior high. And you're like, can I walk in this door by myself? Really intimidating. But what you'll find is when you do walk in, Tara's on the other side. Yeah, People like Tara are there waiting, like, oh my gosh, I'm so glad you came. That's where I feel like you'll forge the best relationships and find the deepest one on one conversations. And the people just incredibly willing to Help you along the way.

I agree. Yeah. And I always, I mean, I think because even when I walk into showrooms, I'm always like, hi. You know, I'm just looking. And you can tell right away if they're like, an engaging person is going to be kind and somebody that I want to work with or not. And I think that that sort of attitude is so important on both ends. You know, when people come into our showroom in Dallas, we're like, welcome in. Like, here's some champagne. What do you want? You know, and, and I think Minneapolis is the same kind of vibe. Like, we're so glad you're here. What can we help you with?

That's so true. To give a shout out to the 13th floor in Dallas because our showrooms are like right next to each other. But when we first moved into that space. Space. So. Okay, let me back up. FYI, if you come to Dallas in Atlanta, the hub has a showroom there and you're welcome to come in and we'll show you the lay of the land and where to go shop. But your guys's showroom in Dallas is right next to ours. And now it's like that whole section of that floor is all Hub brands.

Yeah. We're taking over the block, we call it.

Yeah, we have block parties. It's amazing. But again, to your point, when you go to Minneapolis and you find Tara, like, you can have that same experience in the building because it is so small. Small and personal.

Yeah, yeah. And there's that Midwest vibe. I'm a New York girl, but there's that kind Midwest vibe and you know, everybody's just happy to see you.

So true. What are the things as a brand and as a showroom, do you wish more retailers knew when they came to market or how could they be more successful when they come and they're brand new to market?

I think there's a lot to be on the brand side or the buyer side?

Let's talk about both because there's first time buyers, but there's a lot of first time brands that are starting to exhibit at market. So let's talk about both of them.

I think for first time brands, going to regional markets is huge because I've met people that are like, what do you mean the wholesale price? And I'm like, oh my goodness. So I think first starting off with being a part of something like the Hub is huge because you're going to learn lots of lessons, just, you know, crash course it. Like, like I did. I was one of Those people, I mean, I knew wholesale versus retail. But I think there's a lot to be said for when you're first starting off to go to those smaller markets because you're getting, you're going to be surrounded by people that are just going to help you out, in my opinion. And you get that at the larger markets too. Like, I think it's really good to do your research and know what you're doing. Line sheets open to buy, like what people are going to be asking you. I think that's important. And as a brand, I think it's the same thing. Know what you're doing. A lot of people will walk into our showroom in both Minneapolis and Dallas and say, okay, so I, everybody is different. Like, you know, knowing that, like this is a, you know, because showrooms will have multiple lines, so it's an opening, you know, might be a 500 opening here and a 200 opening here. I ship out of Minneapolis, you ship out in Nashville. You know, we're, we're different brands. So knowing that you're going to walk into these rooms and get several different options in front of you, but that comes with different, you know, things as well. So. So, you know, we love to do kind of the pass off method in our showroom in Dallas and we do it in Minneapolis too, where somebody walks in and you just kind of take them around and tell them about each of the different brands. And in Minneapolis, I'll do that between showrooms, which is like unheard of. Like, I will walk by, I'll say, what else are you looking for? And walk by her to a different showroom. Even if they don't buy from me because why not? Why not help somebody out if you're already not gonna buy from me because you don't want jewelry, you know, and you're looking for candles. Well, then I'll take you to either my favorite candle line or one that I know sells really good, or maybe one that's like local to you. You know, just have a conversation with people and you know, get to know them. You know, what's your story? You know, if you're a buyer, ask, ask somebody what their story is. There's so many great brands out there that have these amazing stories. Specifically I think about our, our aisle in In Doubt in Dallas. You know, we've got all of these great women owned brands and all these really amazing stories and a lot of these buyers have great stories too. You know, you open your boutique for your family or whatever it might be.

Yeah, that's so good. And really that's community over competition being demonstrated and just being a good person first. Just caring about people first. The money, the profits, the sales, all that will follow if you just lead with the most important thing first. And that's. That's people, right?

Yes.

I also just real quick, I'll mention if you were listening to all the things Tara just mentioned about how, how to set up a trade show or what is a line sheet, if those things are overwhelming to you, I have a couple resources I'll link up in the show notes both for brands on how to know what all those things are and how to set up for a trade show. But if you're a first time retailer, we've got a bunch of great blog blog posts and downloads. I'll link those up in the show notes as well so everyone can have those questions answered.

Yeah, the hub is such a great resource for all of the things you're looking for.

Well, it's the people that's in it that makes it really incredible. Tara, you mentioned something at the very beginning when you were introducing your brand that I want to ask you about. We could probably do a whole other podcast just on this alone. But your fair trade and certified, you, you know all the things about being Fair Trade certified. All, all of those. Can you just give me an overview of what that means and the different types of certifications there are?

Yeah, so it's interesting. So Fair trade basically means that you kind of follow a practice of treating your people well and getting your products done right. There's a lot of different places where items are manufactured and I'm sure we've seen in the news all of the, you know, things that happen in India or over in China and all of that. But there's something to be said. Again, people first. Yeah, so there's something to be said where you get your items from a factory or we call it our artisan center that puts people first. I work in Haiti, so it's a little different than, you know, working in, in China or somewhere else where it's a big scale. Like we are people first. Like the people are the reason I started my company. We pay fair and living wages. We have lunches, we have, you know, kids come to work with their parents because the gangs have taken over Haiti and there's no school happening. So I mean it's just like all of these things where it's, it's kind of like a people first focus and there is the Fair Trade Federation and they basically. It's an Application and you know, they have. It's kind of like being in the hub. It's. There's all sorts of, you know, the application process and then they have all sorts of great events and then you get the sign and so we, our stuff is manufactured by a place called Papillon Enterprise in Haiti and they're fair trade certified and they make all of our jewelry. So we of get to be fair trade certified by like jumping on their, on their bandwagon. But she's a dear friend of mine and it's just, it's an amazing company. And like I said, I lived in Haiti for five years and we go down, we were going down, going down regularly, but the gangs have taken over Haiti so it's very unsafe right now. I was there in February and I hope to go back sometime in, you know, when the snow falls in Minnesota. But, you know, it's, it's really about people and about fair paying, fair wages, living wages and just making sure your people are taken care of.

I love that. That's so helpful. Yeah, we'll have to, we'll have to collaborate on bringing more education in and out of the hub on that very topic because I know there's so many questions about it today. Yeah, you know, sustainability is a whole nother conversation that we could definitely deep dive into.

Yeah, yeah.

Any last tips you would give to boutiques or to brands again, as they're thinking about coming to a regional market or just working with a rep or a smaller brand in a showroom just to set up success in the next year?

Yeah, I think, like, if you're a smaller company and you're not sure, you know, I think find a regional market and, you know, send us a Message@Info PlSmart.com because we would love to have you and just kind of start small. Like, I think it's a very scary time financially. There's a lot of unknowns. This was a really hard year for both brands and, and for boutiques and people. Obviously that's why we're having the, the trouble and the difficulty that we've had this year. But reach out to people like, ask them, hey, are you in this showroom? What's your experience? Ask, ask the team at the hub. Like, hey, I'm looking for a showroom. Do you have any recommendations of ones that you guys, you know, really love? It can be hard. I've never actually done the rep model, which means where you would be in somebody else's showroom, you give them a percentage. It's basically Fair, but with people. So you're in a big showroom, and they kind of basically show your line to anybody that walks in. I've never done that model. And then they also go, like, store to store, which is, I think, great. But it just hasn't been something I've explored. But I know, like, our. Our friends that honestly, Margot, like, Irene, loves her. Her showroom and her rep. We've always done the individual models. So, like, golden in Dallas is in my showroom in Minneapolis. Like, all of the brands are there. So, like, it's one big room with just, like, a lot of women that are like, come on in and we'll show you around and give you the grand tour. So I just think, you know, ask people. Don't be afraid to ask. Like, that costs you nothing. Like, hey, can you help me out? What's your opinion? Send a DM to somebody that you kind of admire and say, you know, hey, like, I love watching your success and your growth. I need some help here. Like, I'm thinking about going to, you know, what do you recommend? You know, somebody that's in your, you know, jewelry. Go for jewelry. Apparel. Go for apparel. You know, don't, like, ask a food vendor. You know, hey, what show should I do? Because that's a different market than you. So ask for help. Just ask.

I love it. Just ask and test out something new. Test out the regional markets and when you're at the national markets, when you're in Atlanta, when you're in Dallas, come to the showrooms. There's a lot of intimidation, as I mentioned before. Please don't hesitate. Like, come on up. 13th, 14th, 15th floor. 16th floor. In Atlanta, there's a lot of great people and a lot of hidden gems for brands that you wouldn't have experienced otherwise. And it's often it's not the brands that are carried on Sheen and Temu and even some of the bigger wholesale sites. You're going to find gems that you aren't going to find in other places. I would say so, yeah.

And people that care about their product and. And care about you and it doing well and want you to succeed because your success is going to be their success, our success.

Well said, Tara. This has been incredible. Thanks so much for joining me on the podcast. So glad we got to have this conversation. So cheers to many more and thank you for all that you do for.

Our community here at the Hub. Yes, thank you, Ashley.

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