Exploring Life & Business with Christi & Lily Marshall of Clothed Boutique

Today we’d like to introduce you to Christi & Lily Marshall. 

Hi Christi & Lily, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Our story began during the height of COVID in 2020 when Lily was at home, attending school online and getting ready to graduate. Christi, being a professional life coach, asked Lily one day what her dream career would be, and she answered with “owning a clothing business”. Christi responded with excitement and mentioned that it was always a dream of hers too. From there, they worked on a business plan, created and developed the details, launched Clothed, and haven’t looked back since. We launched our business the day before Thanksgiving in November 2020 and will be celebrating two years this November. Starting a business during the pandemic hasn’t been easy but has certainly made us think outside the box and get creative. We are currently online and have been blessed with the opportunity to have limited inventory in various locations and to participate in pop-up events at different types of businesses. We love collaborating with other small businesses in our community. 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Starting a business from the ground up certainly has not been easy, but it is one of the most rewarding things we have done. You can do a multitude of research and ask several people for advice, but a lot of it is learning as you go. As mentioned, one of the biggest struggles is starting a business during COVID. We were putting unique pieces on our website, but many people were working from home/spending most of their time at home and were not needing these pieces that they would’ve needed before COVID. We were trying to understand our customers’ needs and make sure we were buying inventory that would fit their current lifestyle. Even post-COVID we are finding that people aren’t wearing what they used to, and we live in a more casual society when it comes to fashion. 

Another struggle as a small business is getting your name out there. So, we’ve really relied on our customers’ word of mouth and other businesses in our community. We take every opportunity that comes our way to be out in the public, collaborate, and find ways to promote our brand. We have the best customers and truly appreciate all they’ve done by spreading the word about our business and making us aware of events we can attend. 

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
We are an online mother-daughter-owned women’s clothing, shoes, and accessory boutique. We strive to help women find clothes that make them feel more beautiful and confident than they already are. People know us most for being mother daughter owned and being transparent and real. We model all the pieces and is our business practice to tell our customers the things they need to know, especially since ordering online can be difficult. We do live sales on our app (Clothed Boutique in the App Store or Google Play), Instagram, and Facebook on Thursday nights so our customers can see and hear about the fit of our various pieces. We are proud to offer quality pieces at an affordable price. We only have very few pieces on our site that are over $100, and we are very proud of that, it’s actually part of our mission. If we are not satisfied with the quality, we will let our vendors know and return the pieces. We understand that as a customer, there’s nothing more frustrating than getting poor quality pieces that only last 1 wear. We are also proud to give back to charities in our community. When starting there were so many questions as to how this business would look, but the one thing we knew for sure was that we wanted to make an impact in this world and do good, which is why we donate 5% of every sale to charities in our local community. We include our customers in this process by donating on behalf of our customers. All they have to do is make a purchase and select one of our featured charities to donate to.

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
We both have other jobs, in addition to co-owning Clothed, so we are VERY busy people. Christi is a life coach and trainer, and Lily works in advertising. We hustle every day because we would love for this to soon be our full-time career and something that can stay in our family for generations to come. Our goal is to bring on Christi’s son/ Lily’s brother in a full-time capacity as well. Another thing people may not know, in addition to being online and having an app, we have some inventory at Clarkston Zen in Clarkston, so people have the opportunity to shop with us in person. 

Pricing:

• Majority of items are under $100
• Use code “VOYAGER10” for 10% off your first purchase!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.shopclothedboutique.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shopclothedboutique/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shopclothedboutique
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@shopclothedboutique Our App: https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id1573969671

Image Credits
Samantha Rice Photography
Kimberly Williams