Life & Work with Sarah Costello of Downtown Reese, MI

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Costello.

Hi Sarah, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My husband and I have five children. After baby number four I found it difficult to continue working full-time. I was working at a university in their financial department and it was just too much with having four little ones in Daycare. I stayed home for a few months and decided I needed to still have some sort of work obligation, but also wanted the flexibility to be with my kids. We started the boutique as a children’s clothing store and within a year expanded into women’s apparel and accessories.
We recently celebrated our 10 year anniversary and through throughout the last decade we have expanded four times. We currently occupy a space close to 4000 ft.². We now offer women’s and girls apparel, footwear, intimates, formal and prom gowns, sleepwear, toys, fragrances, gifts, local vendor products, and more.

We proudly sponsor dozens of community events and activities every year as well as many local sports teams. Our staff is currently at seven team members and we operate in store as well as online.

We are so grateful for the community support we receive year after year and are excited to continue to grow as the years go on.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It definitely was not always a smooth path to success. Thankfully, my husband and I own and operate a few other businesses which helped keep this little enterprise afloat in the early years.
We learned a lot and made many mistakes at the beginning.
Operating through and surviving the pandemic was eye opening. We had to really grow the technological side of the business and focus a lot on building our website and growing our brand recognition. Honestly, I think being able to make it through that period of time as a business really gave us the resolve and the confidence to overcome any difficulties we could possibly face.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I think definitely what sets us apart from other retail stores is the personal connection we go out of our way to make with our customers. We are not in a high traffic or touristy community so we work really really hard to attract new customers and maintain great relationships with the people who give us the opportunity to serve them.
We do our absolute best to provide a welcoming and comfortable atmosphere where anyone who walks through our doors feels like they belong.

We’ve done personalized wedding party orders, we’ve worked with women who were undergoing treatment and needed a little extra support with their clothing/size changes, we’ve hosted tons of events that highlight and support local artists and vendors from around Michigan, and we always do our best to give back to those who support us.
Customer service is our number one priority in every day we strive to do better than the day before.
I’m so incredibly proud of my staff for always thinking of new ways to help the women and families that shop with us and for supporting my mission to be the absolute best boutique we can be

What matters most to you? Why?
Our reputation definitely matters the most to me. People are always quick to spread negativity and you have to work really really hard for those positive reviews and kind words.
The way we present ourselves to our customers, potential customers, vendors, website providers, community members and fellow business owners is really important to me. Even if somebody walks out without buying anything, we want them to leave with a happy, positive experience.

Pricing:

• Our top goals when we select the brands and items that we stock in our store are quality and price. We aim to be on trend and affordable all of the time.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://marketgreyboutique.net/
• Instagram: marketgreyboutique
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1CC9v58u6g/?mibextid=wwXIfr