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Welcome to the Pretty Okay Podcast, a chill (but sometimes spicy) small business podcast for people who are crazy enough to have one. Hosted by the Founder of Enji, Tayler Cusick Hollman, we cover everything from basic business practices to small business marketing. We sit down with some of our favorite small business owners and experts who share their stories, real-life experiences, and advice, all while keeping it (very) real and honest.
Tayler - 00:00:05:
Welcome, everyone, to this month's episode of the Pretty OK Podcast. I am your host, Tayler Hollman. And today, you guys, I have one of my favorite, favorite people. You know, the... Those friends that you collect from trauma bonding, from working at a startup, and you're just like, we are lobsters for life. And so I have my, forever and ever, I have my very dear friend, katherine Oyer here of Shop Francis Henri. And today we are going to be talking about something that is so outside of my wheelhouse because, hi, my name is Tayler and I only like to start internet-based businesses that have no overhead. And katherine has done the exact opposite. So today we're going to talk about how having a brick and mortar store is such a different beast. And so I'm so excited to have this conversation. Hello, hello, katherine. How are you today?
Katherine - 00:01:08:
Hello, hello. Oh my goodness. Thank you for having me. Long-time listener, first-time caller of the Pretty Okay podcast. And I'm just so happy to be here. I feel like this is a long time coming.
Tayler - 00:01:20:
This is a long time coming. I mean, we've been doing, you know, for anyone who knows me from Taylrd Media Designs, you're familiar with, you're probably familiar with my Hey Tay series that I did when IGTV.
Katherine - 00:01:32:
Was a thing.
Tayler - 00:01:34:
And Katherine I think you were my one of, you were definitely one of my very first IGTV Hey Tay episode guests. So, you know, we've been taking baby steps.
Katherine - 00:01:44:
Look how far we've come. Look how far. We're really official now. We've made it.
Tayler - 00:01:50:
I know. So for anyone who is tuning in and does not know who you are and the. Cuteness overload that is your business.
Katherine - 00:02:01:
I'm in the background here.
Tayler - 00:02:02:
Yes, introduce yourself.
Katherine - 00:02:06:
So my name is katherine and I own a children's store called Francis Henri We are stocked full of international brands for children. We do clothing, toys, accessories for babies and toddlers. Our focus is ages newborn to four. And it is all things that are very tricky to find here in the United States. So we focus on a lot of brands from places like Paris and Barcelona, Australia, a lot of Danish brands, big Copenhagen fans. Um, and. We love it. We're just a very happy place to be. And we do. E-commerce and we have a brick and mortar in Westfield, New Jersey, New Jersey. If there's any local people listening, come see us, but otherwise you can always check us out on our website. And Instagram too.
Tayler - 00:02:57:
And honestly, if you're making a trip to New York City, like it's not that far. It's like an hour drive. I mean, I, it's true. I have been in your shop. Like I have made the check as we all should. So if you find yourself anywhere within a certain radius of Westfield, New Jersey, please make, it's worth the effort. Like downtown Westfield, New Jersey is so cute. You can have a great lunch. You can go chill in the park. You can hit up Francis Henri and it's just going to be a beautiful afternoon. So, well, okay. I would love to start this conversation at the beginning of the story because... You know, you and I have known each other since I'm pretty sure 2015. When we, you know. like I said, trauma bonded. Coming up on 10 years of friendship. Thinking back to, you know, the startup, like we've done, we have worked together in like a very different capacity. But even though you were wearing your PR hat for the startup that we worked at together when we first met, like. We always knew that there was like Katherine was going to do something other than PR. Right. And so I'd love to have you just share a little bit of your story about like testing the waters with taking Francis Henri and launching it online to start. What was that like?
Katherine - 00:04:33:
So I like a little backstory about opening a store because it does seem like such a hard pivot from doing PR for so long. I felt like I always knew I wanted to have a store. Funny enough, even when we moved to San Diego before we met, we were looking for places to live. And I was trying to convince my husband that we should rent apartments with like a storefront in the bottom. And he was like, but why? You don't have a store. You have a wedding planning business. You work in PR. This is not a thing. So I always knew eventually it was going to happen. And when we had moved to the East Coast from San Diego, you know, I got here and recognized that there was such... Such a miss. I think the East Coast is a little bit slower to bring like really great independent shops and boutiques and independent coffee shops, restaurants. It's just been a little slower to open outside of obviously. Manhattan is chocked full of it. So when I got here, I thought, oh, this is perfect. I'm going to open a store, but I got sucked back into corporate America and took a job. But, you know, I've always been one to like to tinker with things on the side, a little bit of a side hustle. And I decided when the pandemic was happening and we were all at home. I had two toddlers running around and I was pregnant and I was working full-time from home. My husband was working full-time from home. And I was going a little crazy and I needed to do something on the side. And I thought, you know what? I think that I'm going to start making this boutique idea, this shop idea come to life. I thought literally just for me, I was like, I'll build a website. Because this seems like low entry. I was like, I'm not going to run out and sign a lease, even though. That is, that sounds like something I would do. But I... I was like, you know what? I love Shopify for great things. I'll start a website. This is just for me. Like I'll get it up and running. And it seems like very easy entry to start a business as opposed to going full out. Obviously retail is very capital intensive. So yeah, I was like, you know what? We'll try this. We'll try it. It was always just kind of, we'll try this. We'll try this. And I did the website. And then I kind of started reaching out to brands. Just trying to get information. I didn't even think it would start that quickly. I just thought, I'll just reach out to a few people and see where it goes. And yeah, it really started to roll downhill at that point. I was like, well, now I'm committed. I'm like, I'm buying clothes. I guess this is really happening. That was kind of the start.
Tayler - 00:07:00:
That's cool. When you first started, what... You know, when you're in that, I'll just try this, I'll just try this mode. I mean, do you remember kind of what your hypothesis was? Like, oh, I'll try this and maybe it'll do that. Do you remember any of those conversations you were having probably with yourself?
Katherine - 00:07:19:
Yeah. Yes. So in like the many years leading up to this point, when I thought I was going to open a store of some kind, I had started keeping a catalog of brands that I loved. So I have three kids. I My husband and I would often travel to Europe. And that was always the first thing on my list. I really wanted to go check out baby stores and baby brands. I love European baby brands. And so I was shipping a lot of these baby brands to us that I could not find anywhere in the States. And I was feeling very frustrated by that and was paying outrageous shipping fees. And I don't know what dawned on me. I think in the pandemic, I realized that I was pregnant with our third baby and again, was starting to look for baby clothes. Could not believe that these baby brands still, you know, we're still not coming to the States. I was still having to buy these shipping fees. And it just occurred to me that even though I had this giant list of brands that I loved, it was across all categories, home, lifestyle, women's, baby. The baby list of brands was like explosive in comparison to like, oh, the home goods brands that I liked. It sort of occurred to me that I was like, I can't possibly be the only one who loves these great European international brands. And want them. And it's like. The prices aren't exorbitant. It's like, you know, you go to Paris and there's great clothing, incredible quality, not exorbitant prices. And so I don't know, I'm a crazy person. I was like, I can't be the only one. I could start a business. And if I want to buy these things, I'm sure there's other moms who want to buy these things. And maybe I can help kind of connect the dots. Take away that crazy international shipping fee. I think the thing that really pushed me over the edge is there's one Australian brand that I love so much. And I had ordered a few onesies for the new baby. And it took six weeks to deliver. Six weeks. And it was like, not a big package.
Tayler - 00:09:11:
Did they even fit? Like, had you sized up enough? That was
Katherine - 00:09:14:
exactly the thing. And it was like, thank God this baby was not born yet. Because it occurred to me that I was like, if I had ordered it and I had a baby in my arms. It would not have fit by the time that it arrived. And I was like, gosh, if there is some way that I could shorten, obviously, the travel time on that. And, you know, I was doing so much research trying to find it. And then it just occurred that. I was like, you know what? We'll try it. I have this idea that I think I'm not the only one who wants these great clothes. We'll try it again. Very low entry. Did not spend $500,000 to launch the business. It was just like, we'll try it.
Tayler - 00:09:51:
We'll just try it. We'll just try it. I love that.
Katherine - 00:09:53:
We'll just try it. We'll just try it.
Tayler - 00:09:55:
You know. Also, proof that, like, I roll around with all the moms because I was like, did you size up enough for that to fit?
Katherine - 00:10:02:
I love that you knew that. You're like, that does not make sense.
Tayler - 00:10:06:
No, even the non-moms, when you hang out with moms, it's all osmosis in my brain.
Katherine - 00:10:15:
So yeah,
Tayler - 00:10:16:
immediate knee jerk reaction of concern. Red flags, red flags.
Katherine - 00:10:19:
Yes, you're like, something's wrong here.
Tayler - 00:10:22:
Yes, something's super wrong. Okay, so what was, okay. That transition from the safety of having an e-commerce store, right? You still have overhead because like you said, you have to buy inventory. So you're not getting away with like, oh, I just have to pay $300 a year for my website. And like. You know, $50 a year for my domain kind of business. Like you still had to invest. Money. Into Francis Henri, but... That transition of going from the safety of an online store to the like, I am so terribly invested in a storefront.
Katherine - 00:11:03:
So invested, yes.
Tayler - 00:11:06:
I know there's probably not like a single moment where like, ding, this is what I need to do. But what was that transition like? Like what were the emotions going through all of the parts of your body?
Katherine - 00:11:18:
Terrified. Terrified.
Tayler - 00:11:18:
What kind of? Yeah, like what kind of conversations were you having with yourself? And I assume, you know, Chris, like, okay, I really want to do this. Like, really talk to me about that.
Katherine - 00:11:31:
Yes. So between the time that I launched the business, like can shop online was like October, 2020. And then we opened the store September 2022. So like there was a lot of time in between that where I feel like I was like getting my toes wet with kind of understanding the business. You know, I had a couple ordering seasons underneath me. I was understanding how people were buying. The other nice thing is when I launched the business, I was just sizes newborn to two. So it was like very small, very niche, which I always recommend. And then, you know, as the world started to open up, I had the opportunity to participate in a few pop-ups. So I started looking for those because I really wanted proof of concept because it was like, okay, I know my friends and family will order baby clothes. It started to trickle out a little bit bigger than that where I'm like starting to not know people's names, which was very exciting. But still, to your point, the jump to brick and mortar is huge. Like the investment up front that you're like, I really hope someone buys this because I own this now was terrifying. But I think the very first time I did a pop-up. It monsoon rained for five of the six hours. That I was there. And I still did like 10, 15, 20 times the business I had ever done. In one day online, like... Like more than like I had done in a month. Online because obviously like when I started, nobody knew what it was. And I was like, oh my goodness, like people are seeing these products in person. They're touching them. They're feeling them. They're understanding the quality is like out of control. And so it was like, even though the participation in that pop-up was so low, I did. It's just like right in that moment, I was like, oh, people want to see this stuff. You know, they want to be interacting with it. And so I did a couple more of those. And like some were good, some were terrible. But it really, I could tell the way people were reacting. And, you know, people were giving me the same feedback. This is not something we see every day. Where are you getting these? I can't find great clothes for my kids anywhere. It's very hard to shop. You know, it was like consistent comments. So I was feeling a little more confident about the idea. And that certainly helped. But it was still very scary to sign a lease. I mean, I think I had been looking for retail spaces. I thought I wanted to go the semi-permanent pop-up route. Before I signed a true lease. And I had actually gotten pretty far down the road with a space that was available. You know, it was coming off the pandemic. There were a lot of open spaces. And I had talked to this landlord about. Doing you know, like weekend pop-up. Because at the time, I was like the sole caregiver of my kids. So it's like my husband worked full time. So it's like not going to be a weekday thing. I was like, we'll just open on weekends and see how it goes. And I'm very thankful that that didn't end up working out because I think the investment that you put into a pop-up space, it's just pretty much the same investment that you're putting into a permanent space. Because if it looks... Janky people are gonna come you know if it looks really pop-upy like you're just taking over a space and so I'm glad it didn't work out but when I finally found the location that we're in now It's like something about it. It's like I walked through it. And I just knew. What we could do to the space. And the nice thing was the rent was not crazy.
Tayler - 00:14:55:
It was so dark, right?
Katherine - 00:14:58:
It was so terrifying. When I walked in here, all the walls, the top half of the walls were teal, like teenage bedroom teal. The bottom half of the walls were black. And I was like, it was an ice cream store, which I still don't, even though it was an ice cream store. I don't know why they chose those pink colors. It was awful. It was terrible in here. But I was like, I don't know what it was. I could figure it out. Like amazing light. There's a parking lot in the back. There's a back door. People can like bring their strollers in. We're kind of at like a less foot traffic-y end of town, but I felt not worried about that because I'm kind of at the preschool end. Preschool end, beautiful park. Like, it just felt... Like, all right, if we are, if I really want to get proof of concept, like I am kind of a fail fast person. But I was already two years into this business, and I just wanted to know, because brick and mortar was always the plan. I think, honestly... I'm crazy enough to, I probably would have started with brick and mortar and done e-commerce second. And I'm so thankful that because of the pandemic. I didn't do that. And I went the opposite direction because I felt so confident opening because I already knew all the operations in the back end. Like I knew how to ship packages. I knew how to, you know, interact with customers. I knew. How to ring people up. Like there, these are not things I was learning on our grand opening. Which was awesome. But no, I was terrified because it was... I mean, money. I paid to renovate the space. I had to pay. That first load of inventory. You know, we also got a little bit lucky because... I had already bought for the season that we were going to be opening. So I bought so little because I thought we were just doing another round of pop-ups. I was like, oh, brick and mortar is not going to happen. And so it actually kind of worked to my advantage because then I was like scrambling to find products to open the store with. But then it was like, you know, I didn't overload the store with too much of just like guessing, throwing spaghetti at the wall. But yeah, I mean, it was really scary, but... I just figured if I don't do this now, I'm going to be thinking about it forever. I'm going to be really obnoxious talking to all my friends and family about it. And I'm like, all right, what is the worst that can happen? The worst that can happen is I lose all my money. And I thought, okay. All of this money. The worst thing that can happen is bankruptcy. The first thing that happened was all these clothes, you know, it's like I tried to keep my permanent investment very low. It's like I did the painting. I did like a lot of like the DIYing of getting the store to look. But it's like the inventory always felt like this is kind of an investment. Like if all else fails, I could sell it for cost. And like, get out of it.
Tayler - 00:17:29:
Yep.
Katherine - 00:17:29:
And then I just like really crossed my fingers. I was like, I hope this works.
Tayler - 00:17:34:
Well, you know, when you were talking about that first pop-up that you did, and I remember seeing those stories and I'm like, oh my God, it's pouring rain.
Katherine - 00:17:45:
It was raining sideways. We were like putting up sheets trying to block. It was so bad. It was so bad.
Tayler - 00:17:53:
But, you know, when you were talking about that, I was like, that's the power of. When people get to actually experience, right? Like people throw around this word experience and experiential marketing all the time. But it does really speak to the power of what you can learn when you put your product in someone's hands, when they actually get to try it, to feel it, to touch it, all of those things. And I mean, in like very simple language, that's the power of showing someone versus telling them. Right.
Katherine - 00:18:28:
Yeah. Absoulutely.
Tayler - 00:18:28:
Or if we go one step deeper, that's the difference between. Benefits and value versus just talking about like deliverables. And so that's just one of the marketing lessons that I want people to file in their brains is that the best thing you can do is really let someone decide for themselves, like in real time by like not having to debate based off of assumptions and guesses, like whether or not this thing is for them.
Katherine - 00:18:58:
Take the action and then decide what you need to fix.
Tayler - 00:19:01:
Yes. Yes. So that is the, that's the, the marketing business lesson for all of you.
Katherine - 00:19:07:
Here's the bumper sticker for this.
Tayler - 00:19:10:
Yes. Yes. Okay. So let's talk about, I mean, Francis Henri brick and mortar Westfield shop is what it's going to be to this fall. Snaps to that. So what has been like the ups? Like what makes you super stoked to you like, I mean, now you have a, you have to like be somewhere most days of the week, right? Yeah. But what is it that lights you up about having a brick and mortar?
Katherine - 00:19:42:
The night and day difference of moving into a space that is dedicated to this business. I mean, you know, people always talk about the benefits of working from home, but like having this be like a real thing. It didn't feel so much like a real thing when it was in my house and I was shipping out of my basement. Finished basement, not like a scary basement where I kept kids close. Um, But I was like, want to give people context. I'm like, their clothes were not next to the boiler.
Tayler - 00:20:10:
Yeah. I just think. Home alone style.
Katherine - 00:20:12:
Customers. Yeah. No, seriously. Like nothing scary. Interacting with customers, I think. It's so wonderful. I mean, I am in a very special section of retail because... Like pregnant moms. And newborn babies, and like little toddlers. Are so precious and it's like everyone's in a good mood when they come here like You know, people are either, if they don't have kids, they're coming in because they're celebrating a baby. They're going to a baby shower, like a coworker or a best friend, or they're becoming an aunt, you know, like a new niece and nephew. Or it's like a mom who just found out. I cried actual tears the other day because. We had a couple who was here shopping and... They told me that they had just left their like 20 week ultrasound. They found out they were having a boy. And she said that like the first place that they thought of that they wanted to go was the store. And I was like, I'm going to cry again thinking about it.
Tayler - 00:21:13:
Yeah.
Katherine - 00:21:14:
She was like. It was like that? She was like, I knew I wanted to come. Like, I want to come buy something. And I was like, like, so like being involved in these moments in people's lives, like it's everything. It like has very little to do with the clothes. It's just mostly having to do with just loving on these babies. I just love it so much. So that's like the highest of highs. It will never get better than that. Like little girls coming in to pick out their like. Third birthday party dress for their birthday or like we have a little celebration section so we sell some party goods and it's like they get to come pick out like their number birthday candle and like what balloons they want. I'm like, it's just, it's everything. I'll never get over it every day. I want to be here every day. I like never want to leave.
Tayler - 00:21:57:
Yeah. I mean, I remember when I was there, our mutual friend and like my other dear friend, Megan, you know, she, she was kind of, she and her husband were kind enough to schlep me from New York City to Westfield so that I, so that this Southern California kid did not have to try to take public transportation.
Katherine - 00:22:15:
Very terrifying. You're like, I don't know what I'm doing.
Tayler - 00:22:18:
No, that's not a thing. I had dreams about getting lost on the subway in New York City prior to that trip and like crying on the platform and no one helping me. So it's like, like I can't, I can't, I can't.
Katherine - 00:22:28:
That might've happened.
Tayler - 00:22:31:
Yes. But I remember being in, in the shop with the two of you and just like, you know, getting very overwhelmed, like in a good way, like very overwhelmed with emotion because of having known like your entire, not entire, but like a good chunk of your journey to get to this spot. And, you know, it was just, it is like, it feels. There's like a feeling to it that I don't have a word to describe that you get when you walk into Francis Henri's brick and mortar. And but it is. It's like, guys, I mean, I'm like the tough Leo who like, you know, I was just like. So I love that. And that's like a wonderful thing to feel about your own business. And I know a lot of people. You know, it's like, that's what we strive for. That's what we hope and we conceptualize about our own businesses that I'm going to like, I'm just going to be so stoked to go to work every day. And I'm glad that that is, that is like, you have that. But hardcore realist over here. Gotta also talk about-
Katherine - 00:23:47:
Yeah, I like that every day.
Tayler - 00:23:49:
It's like that every day. There's gotta be a kid that walks into the store and just like has a meltdown every once in a while. So what are some of the things that- you know, are just like real experiences, real challenges and, you know, like hurdles that you're trying to get around and over.
Katherine - 00:24:10:
To your point. We love internet businesses because there's no overhead. So having a business that is so just money heavy. It's terrifying. Like it's. It still continues to be very difficult. To do not from like the having the money to do it because like we're so lucky that you know, every month we keep beating projections, like we're growing very quickly. Receiving the money, but it's like projecting. So as an example, you know, it's retail, we are very clothing heavy as a store, we're mostly clothes. And everything we buy is essentially cut to order. So a lot of these brands are so small that they don't make excess. So I order six plus months in advance. So it's like very trying to predict what I might need and not only predicting trends, but predicting quantities. So I just closed all of my orders for fall, winter 2024. So it's like all the things. That will deliver. Next. August, September, October. And I was having to write these orders like in January. So I'm like coming off the season and I'm writing the orders for the next season in the year. And it's trying to gauge, you know, it's like, oh, I bought. You know, three, three to six months of this item. And like, I sold out of it in a week. And it's like, I can't go back to these brands and say, Hey, I need to order. Six more? They're like, sorry, you should have ordered that a year ago when you placed this order. And so it's like, I always feel very anxious because I'm like, I just, it's very hard to predict. And that comes with. Time and experience and it has gotten way better, but you know, selling out of products. Really quickly is such a good problem to have. But I feel very terrible. Like, I always feel terrible. If it's a gift, like, people can always find something really adorable in the store. Very easy to do. If they wanted something, we don't have their size. They're like, oh, well, look at this. Like there's so many good things. It's like when there's a mom in here and she really wants something for her kid and we don't have the size. Like, it's just, it's the worst. It is the worst. It's what it is. Like not, you know, it's like, I don't ever want to be so overloaded in clothes that I have like a hundred of each size. Cause then it's like, and then you're going to sail. And then like your numbers are all out of whack. The money is not adding up. But that is like really the hardest thing is predicting. And then also we pay for everything in advance. So I'm always like, I own everything in this building. And so that also just kind of managing cash flow is such like an interesting thing. Because, you know, we put deposits on everything that isn't coming for a year. It's like I'm paying for these things now and I won't even touch and feel them until. They deliver next September. Wild. So that, it's learning.
Tayler - 00:26:51:
Yeah, you know, one of the things that I am always curious about, because I just, all I need is my computer and an internet connection. So. Like... This is an off script question, but.
Katherine - 00:27:07:
Hit me with it.
Tayler - 00:27:08:
What what happens with, you know, at the end of every season, obviously, like you're going to have these weird size one offs of like a bunch of things. That's just a part of. Yeah, that's just a part of the retail business. And I know that you only guys, Katherine only does a sale twice a year. So when it happens.
Katherine - 00:27:30:
Listen. The people, they flood it.
Tayler - 00:27:33:
Yeah, yeah. It's like NG's version of KPI Day where we celebrate it. It's like, it's Francis Henri Sale Day.
Katherine - 00:27:41:
I'm like, listen, guys, 50% off, get it out.
Tayler - 00:27:44:
Yep. Yep. So... I'm curious, what do you do with the stuff that's already like... Many years or many seasons old, do you just, is that still living in your backstock? And like, you just keep putting it up on the site? Or are you like donating it after a certain period of time? Like, I'm just, I'm genuinely curious about what you do with the extras that are the like super onesie twosie randoms.
Katherine - 00:28:11:
Yeah, like the extra leftovers. Yep. So we often, so thankfully, we're still a little bit erring on the we run out of inventory too quick side, as opposed to the having too much excess side, which is like has its own challenges. And I don't love running out of things. But I also don't want to get stuck with a bunch of stuff. So usually it's a pretty limited amount. And I will say that our sale kind of moves a lot of that product. Because it is very much. The thing that I find about other retailers is like, you know, when they put stuff on sale, that's like, nobody wants it. It's on sale because you're like, nobody bought this. That's why it's on sale. The stuff that we're putting on sale is generally stuff that everybody loved. But it's like, I only have two sizes left. So if it's your size, people are thrilled because they got it for 50 off. And so that moves a lot of it. We do still for sure. I mean, I'm not a perfect buyer. Sometimes I buy some wonky things. I'm like, that was the best. Um, And in that respect, we have identified two organizations and we haven't done it yet. We've still kind of not had enough, I feel like. Give them but there's these like two wonderful organizations who help. Women who are either being removed from their homes or are not living in a safe place or have decided to move forward with a pregnancy when they're very young, like in high school, we're donating our excess to. Just because. I think I always think about this business and I'm like, I love this business so much, but I really think I love it because it's like gives me an in with like moms in early motherhood, which I think is like. Really like the underlying. Passion behind it. I just think like, just such a. Struggle of a few years and I'm like anytime I can like love on these people It was hard for me. What can I do to like get you a little bit further? Down the path. And so that's where our exes will go. When it starts to be like a bigger build up, you know, Claire, who works with me here, had such a wonderful idea. She was saying we should set up like a little shop. So like they can come and have everything be free.
Tayler - 00:30:09:
Oh, I love that.
Katherine - 00:30:12:
Yeah, instead of like putting stuff in trash bags and being like, here is like our leftovers.
Tayler - 00:30:17:
Yeah. I love that.
Katherine - 00:30:18:
So we're kind of working on, we're putting that project on her plate to kind of flesh out a little bit to make, to make that happen. But yeah, thankfully it's not, it's not a ton, but yeah.
Tayler - 00:30:28:
Yeah. Yeah.Thankfully it's not a ton, but that's, that's. An amazing thing for you to do. You know, I think very often I wasn't expecting the conversation to go this way, but I'm so glad it did. Because very often when we make donations to different organizations to support people who are needing something for a whole host of reasons. The experience, going back to experience, the experience that they get is... Is, you know, fundamentally helpful, but it's not the same experience as someone who, you know, has the ability, the agency, the means, the freedom, whatever it is to like go and choose to find those things. And so I am obsessed with this idea of, or this, you know, project of creating a space where the people that you're going to support are going to come and like get to experience how wonderful it is to be in your shop. Like that's...
Katherine - 00:31:27:
Yeah. I mean, so good. And kind of like make it a thing. Yeah, so we're excited.
Tayler - 00:31:31:
So good. So good.
Katherine - 00:31:33:
All the props to Claire for that idea because I was like, oh, like immediately, like I'm a crier. Clearly. Yeah, I was like, oh my god, like, this is it. Like, I feel like I have had this idea to donate, but I haven't done it for so long. And I'm like, I don't, because it feels weird to just like... Dump things on people be like here take this it didn't sell like I don't want it to be that.
Tayler - 00:31:53:
Yeah. You put too much care into all of the parts of your business for that to feel like congruent with the experience that you're building around the brand. So I, yeah, I'm obsessed. I'm obsessed.
Katherine - 00:32:06:
Yeah. We'll keep you posted about that. I'm very excited.
Tayler - 00:32:08:
Keep me posted. Keep me posted. And everyone who's listening, like, keep watching this space. And when Katherine brings this project to life, we all need to like try to break the internet about it because it's so special.
Katherine - 00:32:19:
Totally. Yeah.
Tayler - 00:32:22:
Well. As we wrap up our conversation. What is like the biggest... Lyssa, I wish I knew this before I opened a brick and mortar. What is that thing that you're like, I wish that past Katherine knew what present Katherine knows?
Katherine - 00:32:45:
Those now? Gosh, that is a great question. I think... It's something that I'm still learning. That to understand the flow of business. You know, my background being in a host of things, but most recently in retail, you know, I understood like the fashion calendar, you know, you have fall, you have back to school, you have certain seasons that are heavier than others. You know, it's like for us specifically July. Everyone goes out of town. Everyone has... Traditionally like homes of the Jersey Shore or they're traveling, they're going somewhere else. And so it gets very quiet around here. I wish that I had better set myself up for understanding the really crazy parts of the year, but also kind of like, how would I know? So like there is this period and it happens every year in January where I feel like I'm going to cry every day because. You know, we go into sale, 50% off sale. It's nuts. Packages were packing, flying out the door. And like up until five seconds ago, you know, it's just been me doing all this. But then like I'm also in market. So I like I'm going to Paris. And trying to write orders. But also trying to run a store. And I get really very overwhelmed. I'm having to go in and out of the city many times a day to write orders, but also try to squeeze into a schedule. I'm like, oh, surprise, I also have three kids. Like, I don't have a lot of extra time. And so I always feel very overwhelmed. And so I just kind of like to set myself up. A little bit better and to kind of understand I'm a yes person in as I'm aging, I'm trying to really understand what that yes means. So it's like, okay, it sounds great. But it's like, what am I really saying yes to? What is the commitment level? Because I find, like, I was laughing at your stories last week when you were like, past me, really thought this week was going to flow a lot better. Like, why did I set myself up like this? And like, I do this every year, I do this. And I'm like, I can go into the city on Tuesday, but also be home by 1. And like. Pick up a kid and also like get an order in. But also I'm the only one working the store. So like, God forbid customers come in. I'm too busy. I have to be on my computer. So like, what did I think was going to happen? Like, I just. Understanding what I'm walking into. So it's more good progress. I wish I had known that. I still wish I knew that. That's the thing. Understanding what I'm getting myself into is really. One day. I'll figure it out. One day. You'll figure it out.
Tayler - 00:35:12:
We'll all figure it out. I mean, yeah. Past Tayler also did this week's Tayler even dirtier than last week. So, you know. I clearly, I don't know up from down, but that's fine. This is life, you guys, as a business owner.
Katherine - 00:35:30:
Still learning.
Tayler - 00:35:30:
So, you know. Well, this is such a fun conversation.
Katherine - 00:35:35:
Yeah. Yeah.
Tayler - 00:35:35:
I am so thankful that you could carve out some time. I assume Claire is up at the register running things so that you could pop into the back. So thank you, Claire. Shout out, Claire.
Katherine - 00:35:48:
Yes. Thank you very much, Claire. We love Claire. We are celebrating because we're celebrating a little bit of business growth. I officially made the offer to make Claire a full-timer. Yay! And she accepted.
Tayler - 00:36:02:
That's huge!
Katherine - 00:36:03:
I know! So come April 1st. There will be two of us running the show all day long.
Tayler - 00:36:11:
That's a huge milestone.
Katherine - 00:36:12:
Hot off the presses as of International Women's Day.
Tayler - 00:36:15:
Hey, that's amazing. Girls Well, if people, well, I'm not going to say if. Y'all should be following Francis Henri Keep your eyes on that. Twice yearly sale. But also just get ready to be like, aw, who could I buy this thing for? Where can people find you on the internets and in real life?
Katherine - 00:36:47:
Well, our website, if you are not local and you can't come see me in the store, the website is... Henri and that is spelled F-R-A-N-C-I-S H-E-N-R-I.com. I apparently am a huge fan of eyes. And our Instagram is Henri And then my Instagram is Katherine Oyer. I just changed it. Also hot off the presses. So you can find me there and try to give a little behind the scenes of shop life and the wildness and the cuteness. And like me mostly just like freaking out about new deliveries that I ordered. And I still feel like it's a surprise every time.
Tayler - 00:37:29:
If you're in Westfield, definitely go to the shop. Definitely give Katherine a follow.
Katherine - 00:37:35:
Seen it so far Manhattan it's a 35 minute train ride those of you who are not from the west coast can figure out the train.
Tayler - 00:37:42:
Yeah. Yeah. Just have a friend handhold you, like drop you at the platform. Say, that's the train you're going to get on. So, well, thank you so, so much, Katherine Oh, you guys, this is such a fun conversation. I'm so thankful to have these super smart, creative friends who have these, who are down to have these conversations with me. Show notes will be up on the website, prettyokpodcast.com. You will find me intermittently Instagramming at prettyokpodcast, but I'm going to do a much better job of talking about the podcast on Engie's Instagram.
Katherine - 00:38:25:
You're doing great. You're doing great.
Tayler - 00:38:27:
Engie_co, you know, I'm just like in all the places all the time, you know, but I hope everyone enjoyed this episode. If you did give it a like and subscribe, definitely give Katherine a follow. If you want to chit chat more about the experience that is brick and mortar, don't come at me because I don't know what that's like. Go to somebody else's space. But we will be back next month with another episode. Thank you again for tuning in, everyone. And we'll see you next time.