The Power of Community in Retail

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Business can be a lonely game. But it doesn't have to be. Welcome to Boutique Chat where we explore community over competition and how to scale your company with the balance and the happiness that we all seek. We'll hear from product based businesses of all types, retailers, e commerce and wholesale brands, along with industry experts shaping the future of our industry. 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 have been looking forward to this recording for so long. Macy, thanks so much for being here.

Oh my gosh, thank you for having me. A true honor. I'm so excited to be here.

Oh, I was just laughing. I was telling you before we got started, I was going through my photos in my phone the other day, just like putting things in folders and I ran across this photo of you and your mom at the Boutique Summit several years ago. So took to get to see that then and to get to work with you the way that I do now. It's just so fun to watch your journey unfold.

Thank you. Yeah, a lot of life has happened since that picture. But yeah, I'm happy to be here still.

That's so good. We're going to dig into the life. What she mean by that? That was like a cryptic message. I feel like we're going to dig into what that means. But before we do, talk to me about the Flossy Peach. Tell me about your business and how you got started.

Okay. Yeah, so I started the Flossy Peach when I was a, like sophomore, junior in college, I was 20 years and actually went. I've worked retail my whole life. Like sooner than I was actually legally supposed to be working, I was working in retail and I really loved it. I loved the customers. I love that, like the brick and mortar for sure, in person experience. And when I went to college, I knew I loved that, but I wasn't sure that I could turn that into, you know, a financially successful career in that aspect. So I decided I was going to go to school and become a pharmacist. But what I was going to do is I was going to open a pharmacy and then have a gift shop in my pharmacy. So really when you say it out loud, you're like, okay, girl, it's pretty clear, you know, what your plans actually were. So. But anyway, so I went to school the first semester. I took my first chemistry test, made a 67 and I was like, no, I mean, I know I'm capable of doing this. If I want to. But I do not want to do this. Like I want to just, I want to work for myself. I want to be in retail. I don't know what that's going to look like, but I'm going to change my major. So I just marched right over to the business hall, changed my major that day and went home that weekend and told my parents and my dad was like, yeah, I think that's a good idea. Like I really didn't want to pay for pharmacy school anyway. So that sounds great. And so yeah, fast forward like a year and a half probably. That's when I started Flossy Peach, when I was in school and at abac, which is a really small college not far from where I'm from. And it was amazing because I had a lot of resources at my fingertips and the school was small, so it was a very like intimate experience there. And I mean I sat in one of my professors office and she helped me apply for my sales tax ID and like they helped me write my business plan that I took to the bank to get my first line of credit, like all that stuff to get started. So that was amazing. But so we started out online oddly enough, and just because I wasn't home, you know, a lot, but all the inventory was at my parents house and which was about 30 minutes from where I was. And I would drive home every weekend, steam, you know, tag, do photo shoots, put stuff on the website, all of that content, everything on the weekends and then we would get orders during the week and I would call my mom, be like, mom, can you please ship this? Orders made for me, you know, and so we did that and we did trunk shows which were like the really fun part for me because I love the in person experience like that. I love people. And so we did that and it was an amazing way to go ahead and establish like a clientele and a customer base. We would pop up in like pool house and send out invitations and all that stuff. We would do it like four times a year. And so then fast forward to when I graduated college. I waited about a year and then found the space that we first opened up in downtown Moultrie. And with that we already had a customer base established. So when we opened our doors we really already had a momentum built up and hit the ground running there. But with the brick and mortar like it far surpassed. I didn't really know what expectations to have, but it definitely surpassed that. And I knew, okay, we've got something here. So that was in 2017 when we opened up our brick and mortar, and then we were there for five years, and we outgrew that space very quickly. We actually closed the website when we opened the store because I wanted to make sure that I could really adequately serve the people that were right in front of me. And I didn't feel like I could do both at first. So at first we were just like, in store. And then we, like, people would. We do social sellings, people would message us on Instagram or whatever, and we would still ship a lot from the store. And so then we turned the website back on, like right around Covid just clearly. And so that all kind of. We kind of combined it once I figured out a good system for that. But so we ran that store for five years, and then we really needed a new space. We needed a bigger space. I needed an office. I would go and sit in my car to have, like, private conversations or business conversations or whatever because it was just so small. And so I started looking for property and I looked at a lot of different, different, you know, options. And it just, like, for a couple years, probably just didn't find the right space. And then I went to the bank just to talk to my local banker and about a property that was available, but I felt like was priced higher than I needed to, you know, go. And he was like, you know, I think you just need to keep waiting for the right spot. And so I was like, all right, I trust you. Like, I'll do that. So then that same afternoon, he walked in my store and was like, hey, have you thought about this, this building? And I was like, I don't think so. It was a 17,000 square foot building that's literally the heart of our downtown, right on Main Street. And we were on Main street too, just one block down in the. In the old store. But it had been vacant for like 10 years. It used to be like a department store way, way, way, you know, in the beginning. And then like, it was a city trend that was like the last, you know, building that had occupied it or business that had occupied it, but it had been vacant for 10 years. And so building was huge and needed a lot of work. And I was like, no, I haven't considered that building. Like, that's huge. That's way too much. I think you should just go look at it. And so I went in and I just was like, oh, like, you know, yeah, it's going to be a lot of work. But I can see us here. It's on the corner. It's, you Know, it's a really good piece of real estate. So we ended up purchasing this giant building and my sister, what had become a State Farm agent the year before. Our dad's a State Farm agent as well. So we have a serial entrepreneurial family. And so she needed a nice office as well. So we actually ended up purchasing the building together. And then. So her State Farm agency occupies one bottom half, and then my stores on the other. And then we have an upstairs as well that we haven't renovated upstairs, but we've renovated the outside and the bottom level and split it into two. So that was a big project. But we. So we now have about 4,000 square feet that's ours. And we've got some storage upstairs, but we love it. It's a dream, dream space for sure. And this office is like a dream office. And we. The luxury to have an office.

I mean, I'm loving your background, so I can only imagine. And I've seen photos of your store. I've heard from so many people how beautiful your store is. So I hope everyone has a chance to check you out on social media. Yeah, it's a good lesson in really finding the right property for you is sometimes you need to look at what's, you know, unexpected.

Yeah, absolutely. In. In life, in everything. But, yeah, I mean, for sure. And I knew this building was available. I just like, no, it's too big. Like, I just never considered it. And then sometimes it just takes the right people, like, just putting a little, you know, bug in your ear, like, hey, you know, consider this. Think about this. And you're like, oh, I didn't think about that, but okay, that could work. So, yeah, so we've been here now for about a year and a half in this space, and we love it.

Incredible. So when you think about that journey along the way, I mean, you've had a lot of just growth and opportunity and change and I'm sure highs and lows along the way as well. Talk to me about, what do you think? Like, pick out two or three things that you think have been maybe, you know, some great decisions you made along the way or pivotal points in your growth that really helped you continue to grow when your business maybe could have stalled out or went the other direction.

Yeah, I think investment community has been the biggest thing for us, I think. Like, I'm from Moultrie. I've lived here my whole life, except for when I was in college, which is 30 minutes away. You know, so I've been in South Georgia forever, and even during COVID you know, our community really stepped up and supported us. I mean, I. So when Covid happened, I moved all my inventory out of my store and moved it to my house. And I was like, live selling and, you know, going on Instagram and Facebook all day, you know, showing stuff, and people were picking up on my front porch. I had friends Venmo me or customers venmo me. 50 bucks. Hey, just surprise me. I don't know. I don't, like, whatever you think I would like. I trust you, and I just want to support you in this. And that. That time really, like, that whole season really showed me, like, how. How much our community supports us. And then it made me want to give back to our community so much more so and carrying into that, us making the decision to invest in this property. I mean, I think that that's been something that people have really appreciated because, I mean, you know, it was a big investment. I mean, and we're. And we're living, you know, we know in the long run, we're like, this was an incredible investment. We're so proud we did this, like, this property that we always is amazing. But we're also, like, in the first few years where we're like, oh, no, what do we do? You know, and we're just living that right now. But I mean, the amount of people who just stopped by because they just wanted to say, hey, you know, thank you. Thank you for in, like, renovating this property. Thank you for making our downtown even more beautiful. And our whole thing as we were doing this project was, you know, whether they're our customer, whether they're our client or not, we want the people of this community and surrounding communities to drive by our building and be proud of it. And so I think, you know, again, whether you're my customer or not, like, I want you to be proud that the plastic beach is in, you know, Moultrie, and that it's something that brings people here. And so really just investing in the community in that aspect and then just like, serving in the community. I'm on every single committee that makes up downtown Moultrie. I'm the president of our downtown merchants association. I'm on our development authority. There's a downtown Moultrie tomorrow. I'm on historic preservation. And maybe I need to simplify that a little bit at this point, but, you know, just knowing that really learning that what I do in the community, it doesn't just affect my business, but it affects everybody. And, like, I love the Hubs Community over competition mantra. Because I've tried to take that and bring that to downtown Moultrie. And I've heard, you know, there's other communities like downtown downtowns that have beautiful, beautiful cities, and, you know, they've got restaurants and shops, and it's a gorgeous place to be. But they've said, you know, we don't have that community among the merchants like you guys have, and we can see that. We want to be a part of that. And so just trying to bring that you can accomplish so much, so much more when you do it together. And so just being able to kind of bring that to our downtown and our city as a whole and plan events together and, you know, just do it all together, it's really pretty neat what you can accomplish in that aspect.

It's so good. I love hearing you say that. It's funny because as you're talking about your hometown, I can feel my hometown. I was very fortunate to grow up in Bowman, North Dakota, and just have an incredibly strong, like, local chamber of commerce, and I worked in economic development. You know, just we were so active, and we were the envy of the entire western side of the state. No one had what we had. So for those who are listening and they're hearing that and they know that it's possible, can you give, like, what are a couple of events that you guys host or what's your, like, you know, meeting cadence, or how else can someone listening facilitate that level of community wherever they live?

Yeah. So I think I'll have to toot the horn of our Main street director, because she's incredible, and she loves and is so passionate about our. Our downtown, and she does all the statewide things that, you know, helps us be on people's radar, too. So I think just try. If you're on a Main street, try to get involved in a Main street program, too. And it does help when you. When you are in, like, a centrally located place, like a downtown. Like, we're literally on a square. Our courthouse is right in the middle. But even so, even if you don't have, like, a Main street program or whatever, just being able to team up and, you know, just, again, not feel like, yeah, we're in competition, I guess. But even there's, like, I don't know how many boutiques are in downtown Moultrie, but they're all different. They all have a niche. They all have a customer that they're serving. Is there overlap? Absolutely. But that's the beauty of it. Like, when you want to come, you want to come downtown Moultrie and shop at multiple places you don't want to go just for one. And yeah, we want to be a destination place at the Glossy Peach, but we also want you to be able to, you know, pick up a wedding gift while you're here and grab a good cup of coffee and have lunch at a nice spot and all that. So. But as far as go, one that has been incredibly successful for us is second Saturday. So every second Saturday of the month, we have food trucks that come downtown. We do all, like, sidewalk sales and things like that. We first started, we literally rolled out second Saturday in like, March of 2020. So we rolled it out and then we were like, came to a screeching halt. Right. But when we first did it, it was going to be like a concert and it was going to be, you know, more adult geared where you could, you know, have a cocktail, whatever, walk right outside. And so we were blessed that Covid did kind of shut us down and make us come to a screeching halt. Because when we started it back up, we were like, okay, we think we need to make this more fatally oriented. And that has really taken off. So every time we have, like, bouncy houses, we'll do different, like, kids activities if. If it's like. I think for October, we did like princesses and pirates theme that we had like a princess bounce house in one of the hair salons, was doing like hair tinsel and just like all, you know, all these things. But people love, you know, to be able to come somewhere where, like, their whole family can come and you don't have to get a babysitter or whatever. So that's been really huge for us. And then another event that we do that we're known is Thanksgiving night. Every year, all the stores open up. We have these beautiful Christmas lights. They're like a canopy from the courthouse over downtown. It looks like a Hallmark movie, literally. And people come from all over. That's when we have, like, the most people downtown. And our stores are packed. I mean, you cannot move. But it's like, it's like a family reunion almost. And everybody just like, oh, hey. Because it's people that are maybe from Moultrie, but they live out of town, and then they come back for the holiday. So that's really neat too. It's like a big deal. And we opened up our. When we opened up our new store, we opened up on Thanksgiving night. So that was really neat to do that. Yeah. And there's more events too, but those are the two big ones.

I Think it does feel like a Hallmark movie, the more that you describe it. And you know what else is unique is there is something really special about, like, small towns in Georgia. Your guys's downtowns are so beautiful. And I know there's other states that probably have something similar, but there's definitely states that don't.

Yeah.

So it's very unique and special what you guys have. And the more I hear you talk about just, like, investing in your community and how you give back, it's really the lesson of servant leadership. Like, you lead by serving others and what a life lesson that is for all of us. And I see that in. In your business and in the opportunity for retailers, but I also see that in the hub, and I see that in the way that you're involved in the hub with others. Right. Of servant leadership. So you've been a part of our Mastermind now, and getting to watch the servant leadership in that group of people. Describe to me what that experience is like, masterminding with other business owners.

Yeah, I mean, I'm smiling because, I mean, you know, I got there and I'm like, how did I get here? Like, they have the wrong girl. I'm not sure if they know. I'm not going to tell them, but I, like, can't believe I got invited to be here. So just being a part of Mastermind was incredible. And walking in and knowing, like, trying to figure out how to work this where it's appropriate, but just knowing, you know, like, what everybody was bringing to the table, it was incredible. And I just wanted to be a sponge and soak it all up, but I didn't expect to walk away from Mastermind having been poured into so much. And, you know, I mean, just. And it was the classes. It was also the Uber rides. It was, you know, the bathroom line, the lunch line, you know, the bar, hotel bar, afterwards, you know, everything, just every single conversation, I felt like even those. Those big dogs that were there, they were interested in what I had to say and they were listening to me and they were taking notes, even if my business is totally different than theirs. Like, I felt like they felt like they could still learn something from me. And when you feel that way, it changes your perspective and it gives you more confidence and you feel people pouring into you. And so since Mastermind, we've got group text going and people are just constantly building each other up, and it is amazing. I mean, it has literally changed my life. And I don't mean to be dramatic, but, I mean, that's accurate. Yes, because it can be, you know, retail or just business ownership in general can be very lonely. Even if you have a whole team. It's different when you're in charge and, you know, you've got all the things weighing on you or whatever. And, I mean, I really struggled last year. 2023 was, like, probably the most difficult year for me in retail just because I allowed myself to bill alone in some of it. And, you know, I mean, difference in economy, whatever you want to chalk it up to, I think I kind of listened in on some of the sky is falling, you know, mindset a little bit and not even consciously, more so subconsciously just like allowed it in. And then, so, I mean, to be honest, like, I underbought because I was a little scared. And then, you know, we didn't have the inventory, so of course we're not going to have the sales that we normally do. And then I'm looking at the sales, like, oh, no, what have I done? Like, why am I not performing? You know, and just kind of let myself get in that place. And it was hard. I mean, there were times where I was, you know, like, am I still supposed to do this? Like, am I. Am I still good at this? Like, do I still know what I'm doing? Somehow I snapped out of it. I don't know. I don't know how, but I think just determination. I was like, no, I do love this. I am going to figure this out and keep going. And then again, just other people pouring into me and, and having those conversations with other people in the industry. But then especially with mastermind, like, I just, I feel like, you know, my mindset has shifted so much and, you know, I walked into that room saying, like, I don't know what I'm doing. Like, I don't know how I got here. But I promise the next mastermind, you will not hear me say that. You know, like, even if I'm not on the level that other people there are, like, I know after other people having servant, you know, servant's heart and pouring into me, like, I do. I do deserve to be here. I did deserve this seat at this table. And I've got to walk around knowing that not in, like, a cocky, conceited way, but in a, like, humble confidence.

Have you ever wondered if someone else in business is going through the exact same thing you are right now? Whether it's an obstacle to overcome or a new opportunity you aren't sure if you should pursue or not? Or maybe just some of those same questions about man, am I really getting the most out of my inventory or my Facebook ads or my team. How can I do business just a little bit better and enjoy life just a little bit more? Well, those are a lot of the questions that we answer on a day to day basis inside of our community at the Boutique Hub. If you're listening and you aren't yet a member of our community, I want to invite you to join us. We have 14 different niche Facebook groups to connect you with store owners at the same level. And just like you, no matter what you sell, home and gift, apparel, children, specialty, we've got groups for all of that. Plus we want to get you up to date with the latest training, the latest information and strategy on what's working right now in our industry. With our weekly education plus our maxed out training library, we also have hundreds and hundreds of vetted amazing wholesale brands who have been proven to do business in boutiques. We don't like trademark infringement, we don't like brands with poor customer service. We handpick the best of the best and the best of the best love working with Boutique Hub members as well. So they offer numerous discounts and free shipping whether it's at market inside of our groups or on our own wholesale platform hubventory.com with thousands of dollars in savings just for Boutique Hub members. So if you aren't yet a member, we'd love to invite you to join us@the boutiquehub.com backslash. Join us to be a part of our community on a daily basis. I can't wait to see you inside and I can't wait to see you connect with amazing business owners who are serious about their business, just like you. Yeah. Humble confidence and what you'll attract to yourself.

Yeah.

When you live and act in that on a daily basis. The funny thing is is when I think about like you said in 2023, you shrunk and it was a mindset that led you to shrink, right?

Yeah.

And I think that's really common in business. When we're fearful of something, it's easy to go, oh, I'm just going to like bear down and, and get small and like play it safe. And that's what society tells us to do, like be safe, don't take risk. But in reality when you hear stories like yours and you say, well what led you out of that? It was like, well I had to invest in myself or I had to do something that was a big scary step that led me to expand. So I think it's just like, please Listen to this. Like, when everyone's telling you to play it safe and be small, that's when you expand and you go big and you invest in something that's going to challenge you to get better. So. So let's talk about Mastermind for one more second. Something really unique that happened there was. You came in and people were pouring into you, but you had this really crazy experience where you kind of accidentally poured into somebody else.

Yeah, tell me about that. I knew you were gonna bring this up, which is fine. It's so. I mean, I'm so happy to that it happened, honestly. Okay, so we're in this Uber ride, and it just happens to be the only Uber ride that we're in that seemed like an hour long ride from, you know, our destination to the other Atlanta traffic. And so we're in the car with Gretchen is in the car with me, Jordan and Randy, and then poor Jeff, Ben is in the front seat too, passenger seat. And so Gretchen was like, you know, I want to hear, hear your story. And so I shared with her because I'm an open book. I mean, there's not enough time for this podcast for me to share everything that I'd be willing to share, but I am like, I'm just happy to share, you know, my story. And so I shared with her about, like, my divorce and, like, becoming a single mom while running, you know, the business and then, you know, then finding love again and getting remarried and all of that. And so just telling her my story. And I just, I know that the girls in the car were listening. I felt bad for Jeff because I know he was up there. I was like, he probably doesn't want to hear this, but I did not think that the Uber driver, you know, was listening. So we get to where we're going, and I'm the last one to climb out of the car. And so I'm about to get out and the Uber driver turns around and she's got tears in her eyes. And I'm like, oh, gosh, you know, like, are you okay? And she said, you just gave me the confidence to sign my papers, like her divorce papers. And I was like, oh, my gosh. Okay, well, you got this. And I know this is hard, but one day down the road, however long it takes, there is a man waiting for you who is going to put you on a pedestal and treat you like the queen that you are and wait for him and show up for yourself. And she was like, you know, I get like, boohooing, and I'm like, Can I hug you? And she's like, yeah. And so I give her a hug, and then I get out of the car, and they're all sitting on the side, like, sidewalk, like, Macy, why are you Uber driver? Like, what? Just. I just. I don't know how this happens, but, yeah, I just had a little moment with Uber driver.

It was memorable, for sure.