I'm Feelin' Swanky

So it’s been brought to my attention that I have a bit of a shopping addiction.  Okay, okay, I’ve been aware of this fatal flaw in my personality since the age of ten.  But every girl has to have her vices, right?  So I had a wee bit of a problem when I went to college and discovered Swank Boutique for the first time.

During the four years I attended Mizzou my entire closet quickly became 50 percent Swank purchases.  Swank, my closet thanks you, my credit card does not.  One of Swank’s hashtags on social media is #swankaddict. I’d like to believe yours truly inspired it.  Okay, I don’t really believe that but I am curious if there's rehab for #swankaddicts?  I’ll need to look into that.

Swank Boutique is a men and women’s clothing store located in the heart of downtown Columbia, Missouri.  Since opening in 2005, they have offered the most current styles from a variety of contemporary brands.  From the moment I stepped into their store four years ago, I’ve been hooked.

Over Mizzou’s homecoming weekend I was able to sit down with owner Erin Wagoner for some delicious grapefruit Old Fashionds (courtesy of her boyfriend) and a good ole Alle Cat Chat.

Ps. There’s a really great surprise at the end that I can promise you won’t want to miss!

Check them out on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram! 

Alle Cat: What type of person would you say Swank Boutique is the perfect fit for?

Erin Wagoner: The woman who doesn’t necessarily follow what everyone else is wearing.  She gets up, goes to her closet and puts her own style together.  It may be sporty one day, casual the next or really dressy and trendy, but it always has a constant edge and a touch of class.  She appreciates her own sense of fashion.  In my mind that translates into personality, it takes a strong woman who knows who she is and what she wants and she shows that through her clothes.

AC: Exactly!  And that’s what makes you stand out from some of the other boutiques in Columbia, not to say there’s anything wrong with those…

EW: They’re not as cool, you can say it…

AC: Well you guys certainly stand out because what you carry is not what a typical college town boutique sells.

EW: I think fashion, as simple as it is, is something I really think about.  For me, getting dressed isn’t just throwing on a t-shirt and jeans everyday, it’s putting together a representation of my personality or my mood that day.  That’s something that I enjoy, but that doesn’t necessarily translate for everyone. 

AC: It’s to some extent an art form.

EW: Yea! A personal art form.

AC: If I remember correctly you were pretty much right out of college when you opened Swank, is that correct? 

EW: I dropped out of college and had taken a year off and then I opened the store.

AC: What was it like opening your own business at such a young age? I bet it was scary.

EW: I had no idea what I was doing.  But that was probably a good thing.  It was a long series of events that were benefited from hard work and good role models and my own naïveté.  I got really lucky and I just kept working really hard and got in on it at the right time.  I was fortunate to have enough time to make the mistakes that you can’t make when you have 20 other competitors around you.  So I was able to make all those mistakes and learn from them and now everyone else gets to build off of me.

AC: You just celebrated your nine-year anniversary, now coming up on ten years, how much has changed since you first opened?

EW: So much has changed. I just know more now.  The buying process is a lot more focused and we carry a lot more brands. We are involved in more departments than I thought we would be, it’s changed quite a bit.  Being in the business for as long as I have I’ve learned more about lines and who I want to do business with and who I don’t want to do business with.  I know what works what doesn’t, it’s been interesting and it’s a totally different world.  We still carry Free People, French Connection and Hanky Panky. Those were some of the original lines we opened with.  I think they are three of the only lines that I’ve stayed with and never dropped.

AC: Do you do most of the buying? Can you explain that process?

EW: I think this is one of those times that I’ve gotten lucky and benefited from having a good eye.  I’m fortunate that people like what I choose.  Whether it’s my style or not, just being able to find those things that stand out is essential.  You go to market and you walk down isles with 400 vendors and you need to find things that stand out and are worth the price, worth the fit and worth the quality.

AC: So is it more about finding things that your personally like or things that will sell?

EW: If I only bought for me I wouldn’t make any money because the things that I like, more often than not, are the things that are sitting in the store months later that I have to mark down in order to sell.  It’s about being able to interpret what is selling, who your customer is and what they’re looking for and taking all of these things into consideration.

AC: I think you manage that balance really well because it’s a fine line you have to walk.  There’s a large number of people in Columbia that are really fashion forward but then there’s a number of women who are not…

EW: Right, if we were in a bigger city we could carry cooler shit. We wouldn’t have to have the dumbed down crap that I don’t want to have to sell.

AC: When it comes to selecting brands that you would like to carry what are you looking for?

EW: The customer service aspect is huge and you have no idea what it’s going to be like until you get into the company.  It’s such a volatile environment as far as turn over is concerned.  House of Harlow is owned by a larger company which is owned by a parent company and within the past year we’ve had eight different reps. And you have no idea what’s going to happen next and you have to hope that it’s just going to work out.

AC: Being a small business owner how important is it to shop local?  How do shoppers benefit from doing that?

EW: Hugely.  My boyfriend and I almost exclusively eat locally. When we travel we go for local.  Especially in Columbia, it’s such a big deal for me because the city I don’t think is as supportive of local businesses as they should be. It’s a great example because it’s so centralized.  Everything that’s special about Columbia is its local businesses and its people.  Otherwise, you go out to the mall or you go any direction out from downtown and it’s TGI Fridays, Cheddar’s, Hooters, Gap, Old Navy, those things aren’t special, you can find those anywhere.  Local businesses are where you get the heart of a place and you get someone who recognizes your face and your name.  Like the person checking you out at Gap doesn’t give a shit what you think about an item or what you’re doing for vacation next week.  Some of my really good friends have come out of having this store and you don’t get that at other places.

AC: Your social media game is on point, how has that helped your business?

EW: Social media is nice because it’s free; it only costs your time and energy.  Not that that’s not worth anything, but it’s a lot better than spending a ton of money on a print ad or a television ad that you really don’t get to see the impact of.  It’s nice because it’s more controlled.  I get to have all the control over the interactions with people, the back and fourth and just being able to pop things up as we get them in.  It’s just another way to reach out on a personal level to the customers.  It’s something that I spend way too much of my time on…  that’s just another example of our growth.  When I started it was just the store.  Now it’s online, on social media and it’s just five more things on my plate.

AC: How would you describe your style and where do get your inspiration?

EW: I would say eclectic.  I never know what I’m going to want to wear that day.  It’s totally dependent on my mood or where I’m going.  My grandmother is a huge style inspiration for me.  She has impeccable style and taste and I find myself drawn to things that remind me of things that she’s worn in the past.  I am inspired by people I see walking down the street.  I’m always looking to see what people are wearing to see what they have from the store, what they don’t have from the store, what I should have or just appreciating good style.  Going to market and getting inspiration from different vendors or reps is a big one.  Jewelry designers have some of the best style, well sometimes they do.  Sometimes they look like your mom’s friend who hasn’t been out of the house for two years and you’re like “Really? You make this really cool line but you look like that?”

AC: Okay, let’s talk current trends, what are some things every girl needs in her closet this season?

EW: Hmmm,  a good sneaker and a plaid shirt.  I’m always a huge accessory person so anyone with a box full of jewelry is set.  With a t-shirt and jeans and a bunch of jewelry you can go anywhere with that.  You could conquer the world!

AC: Biggest fashion faux pas you see in Columbia?

EW: Mom jean shorts.  Hate. Overexposed ensembles. Hate.  Those are my two.

AC: Any personal style regrets?

EW: Oh yea, like everything until I was 18.  Pretty much everything.  I’ve had a few girls that have shopped with me since I’ve opened when they were 13 and now they’re in college. I’ve always been so jealous because they’re wearing the same stuff I’m wearing and I’m 10 years older than them… I’m like if only I could have been you at 13… I’d kill to not want to hide every single photo from that whole decade.

AC: Where’s your favorite place in Columbia to just hangout?

EW: Probably at night Quinton’s and on Sundays, or really every morning, at Broadway Brewery for brunch.  The Wine Cellar is awesome too.  It’s a little diamond in the rough, their food is amazing.

AC: Any thoughts of expanding?  Maybe a store in St. Louis or KC?

EW: It’s come up a couple of times and I’ve thought about it and almost taken it on.  But then other things pop up.  But it just comes down to having a good team around you.  So if I had that here and I found a place that needed Swank and could support Swank and I had a good staff there then I would totally do it in a heartbeat.  I need a 30 year old chic who has awesome style, who doesn’t need to work for the money, because I’m a small business, I can’t afford to pay everyone as much as I’d like to, that just likes to have a good time and is a hard worker who likes to wear the clothes.  That’s my ideal candidate.

AC: Well hey, if this TV thing doesn’t pan out by the time I’m 30 maybe we can talk.

EW: Hey, I can go younger, I can go older!

EW: How would you describe the Swank customer?

AC: Someone who appreciates good quality and also wants to stand out from the crowd. 

EW: Right? Who just wants to be boring and blend in?

Drum roll please!!!  







You need to head to ------> Swank Boutique online <------ RIGHT NOW for 20 percent off!  Enter the code Allecat at check out.  Happy shopping my loves!

Hurry offer expires November 21^st !

Until next time, cheers!

A