Despite recent boutique closures amid economic pressures, some local boutiques are seeing increased sales and are growing their online customer base.
Time Warp, a vintage clothing boutique on Government Street, has had a 7% to 10% increase in sales every year since opening in 2000 (except during the pandemic year of 2020). Once the store reopened after the COVID-19 shutdown, owner Joshua Holder says the shop’s sales immediately spiked 20% to 25%.
“We think this is due to our increased social media presence during that difficult time and customers finally got to see a story or a video of who we are rather than a quick layflat or model picture,” Holder says about the hike in sales.
Since the pandemic, Holder says the company pivoted to prioritizing social media marketing, e-commerce and global shipping. He also started selling more casual everyday wear and carrying fewer items in backstock.
Abby Bullock, owner of Wanderlust by Abby, also has seen an increase in sales since focusing on social media and email marketing. Though summer 2024 was the slowest season she’s had, she was able to recover with sales from the LSU vs. USC Vegas Kickoff Classic in September and the Taylor Swift concerts taking place this weekend in New Orleans. In recent years, she has cut back on slow-moving inventory and now focuses on selling the most popular apparel and accessories. To expand her reach, she has hired a social media specialist and works with a digital marketing agency for geofencing targeted marketing.
“If you have survived summer, it’s on now,” Bullock says. “With football, LSU, all the holidays, this is where everyone thrives. It’s just getting over that hump from this past summer.”
Lenore London, owner of London’s Fashion Boutique, says her slowest month this year was January. Though sales have increased since then, she says her sales are still not where they used to be. This year, sales have gone down by 40% for the boutique on O’Neal Lane, but not enough for her to consider closing up shop, she says.
“This year has definitely shown that people are really just trying to cut back and they’re shopping cheaper,” London says.
To compete with brands like Shein and Amazon, London says she ships all of her online orders priority so her customers can get clothes quickly, while still shopping locally. She also posts roughly three times per day on Instagram and Facebook and personally texts a handful of regular customers informing them about new arrivals. Prioritizing online marketing has increased in-store and online sales, she says.
“I feel like customers today support where they feel the most comfortable and stores that represent their personal styles and values,” Holder says. “Also, the customers are aware of the products they buy. It’s all about being unique, special and selling products that are not found in every store or easily findable online. Stores that last in today’s market have an identity.”
