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Molly’s Upscale Consignment Boutique
Molly Whitley, President
Founded: 2007
After five years as the Food and Beverage Administrator at Casino
Aztar, Molly Whitley was ready to try something new. Considering her
options, she jokingly suggested opening a consignment shop – a long-time
dream – to her husband. Surprisingly (to Molly), he encouraged the
venture. Intrigued, Molly
began looking into what it would take to accomplish her dream.
As she pursued it “everything just fell into place.”
Molly’s on Main opened in downtown Evansville in August of 2007,
and Molly hasn’t looked back since.
It wasn’t easy starting a business after a lifetime in mid-level
management. Molly had never been
in retail before, and claimed with a chuckle that the whole experience
was “a learning process.” She
searched for assistance and stumbled upon the SBDC website.
In response to her email, Molly was sent a folder of information
to apply to her consignment boutique.
Though she found the advice useful, Molly was determined to
implement everything on her own.
“I didn’t realize how many resources there were,” she stated with a wry
smile.
Two years after opening her shop on Main Street, Molly was faced with a
new dilemma. Though she loved her
cozy downtown shop, limited space and sparse parking inhibited the
growth of Molly’s on Main. The
decision was difficult, but Molly decided to relocate her shop to N.
Green River Road, a location that offered nearly double the space and
abundant parking. Over the course
of the move, she decided to upgrade her accounting and sales procedures.
Once again Molly turned to the SBDC, this time working with
Business Advisor Pete Sabella to set up QuickBooks for the boutique.
Molly praised his efforts, mentioning Sabella’s willingness to
spend hours at the shop helping her learn the intricacies of the
program. “I really appreciate
everything that the SBDC has done for me,” she said with a grin.
“I wish I had started using their services a long time ago!”
Molly's Upscale Consignment Boutique is truly one-of-a-kind,
combining a chic atmosphere with affordable designer and store fashions.
Molly makes certain that all of her products are in excellent
condition, cultivating good relationships with her consigners by
“catering” to their needs.
The boutique offers clothing in all sizes, including plus, and is
developing a new line of men’s clothing.
Her most unique products, however, come from the various artists who
display in the shop. Molly is very supportive of the arts, selling
jewelry from six local artists and marketing the work of painters as
well.
For Molly Whitley, the future is bright.
She spoke animatedly about expanding her product lines, offering
more art like glass and handmade purses, and even branching out into new
clothing. “I would love to
be a buyer” she mused, considering the benefits of buying leftover stock
from boutiques. Molly is
also considering having assistants in the boutique and expanding her
hours. As for Molly’s on
Main, she isn’t ruling out going back to Main Street.
With the way business has been booming lately, Molly may have to
open a second shop.
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