Community Highlights: Meet Erica Briganti of Starry Eyes Baby & Children’s Clothing Boutique

Today we’d like to introduce you to Erica Briganti.

Hi Erica, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today. 
I graduated from GVSU with an accounting degree, became a CPA & have been working in the accounting industry for 10+ years in Metro Detroit at a major public accounting firm. I have always been interested in fashion and had a dream to own my own women’s clothing boutique someday. In fact, I was quoted in my high school year book as wanting to be a fashion designer! After my two boys were born, I was drawn to baby & children’s clothing & in 2023, I decided take a risk & turn my fashion dream & love of all things baby & children into my own clothing business.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has not been smooth! Having an accounting background has helped me launch this boutique from the business aspect, however, there have been many struggles along the way such as procuring high-quality, yet affordable clothing. The biggest struggle has been, from a marketing perspective, just getting the word out there that the boutique exists! There have been so many ups & downs this year but now there are always struggles with any business, especially starting a new small business from the ground up.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
The boutique was founded by myself & my husband, Terry. Having our own boys, we know how special each and every baby and child is and take pride in procuring high-quality, neutral trendy affordable clothing. We sell clothing we would dress our own kids in, mom and dad approved for snuggles, play, and everything in between. All our clothing is carefully procured to ensure it meets our high-quality standards. We currently carry baby size NB – 24M, toddler size 2T – 5T, and children’s size 6-10Y with plans on expanding our children’s sizing. We also have plans to offer baby & children’s accessories & toys in the future. We release clothing in ‘collections’ & every new collection is released with a live sale event. These live sale events, allows our customers a chance to connect with us on a more personal level & get an up-close explanation of each product. We also give our customers a chance to win store credit at each live sale event!

When naming our boutique, we named it ‘Starry Eyes’ because the sparkling glow of happiness, dreams and wonder in those little eyes inspire us each and every day to keep reaching for our dream.

Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
We know our city rallies around small businesses and hope someday to be able to have a physical store location, until then, we are an online-only store. That is the part I dislike: not having the opportunity to be face-to-face with our customers. Our goal is to participate in local festivals, markets & other pop-ups next year.

We are very passionate about giving back to our city. This coming year, we will be looking to give back to local organizations focused on helping families who suffer from pregnancy and infant loss.

 

Contact Info:

• Website: www.starryeyesbabyboutique.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/starryeyesbabyboutique/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/starryeyesbabyboutique

Image Credits
Lonnie Horne