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2801 W Sugar Creek Road
704-921-6370
Scout & Molly's of Charlotte, a clothing boutique
Megan Tee: I opened seven months ago. This is my first summer, and it will be my first fall season, so I don't have anything to compare [against]. I knew I was opening in a recession, and I think that as far as goals go, I'm never satisfied. The thing that is good about opening in a recession is it teaches you to be really creative and really conservative. If I can make it now, I'll be able to make it any time. But one thing that surprised me since I opened is that even seven months later, people are still coming in for the first time and just discovering the boutique. And in addition to that, I have customers that came in the first week, and they still come back every week. I've built a client base, and I find that women that love clothes and love to shop, whereas they might not be spending as much, they're still buying things.
3920 Sharon Road, Suite B150
704-817-7009
www.scoutandmollysofcharlotte.com
JSW Media Group, a full-service brand management company
Jameka Whitten: Surprisingly enough, business is good and steady. Most of the time in a struggling economy, PR and marketing is the first to go; however, people find the services we provide valuable, and that is a beautiful thing. No complaints here.
704-965-3297
Peek-A-Boo Couture, a children's clothing boutique
Candace Khashman: People used to not blink an eye at an $80 outfit, but now it has to be a $30 outfit, so I have to offer a more affordable product for the customer. If not, people aren't going to shop here. If someone comes in the store, they're not going to want to buy an outfit that a child's going to wear once in a while; they want something that they're going to get two seasons out of. I generally use companies that have an elastic waist that you can adjust, so it may be a little bit bigger in the pants but you can take it up, so customers are saving money. I have to constantly run promotions. If I sat here in the store and waited for a customer to come in, it's not going to happen. I have to come up with events that do not cost the consumer any money and make them want to come here, whether it's giveaway bags or a model search, whether it's a fashion show where people can buy outfits and be in our fashion show -- we have to come up with all kinds of events. We do four events a month. It used to be that we were so slam-packed that I didn't have the time to do anything. I look at my numbers this year in comparison to last year and I'm down 25 percent. I think that's pretty much any retailer that you go to, it's pretty much standard. This is a specialty shop -- this is not a necessity shop.
1315 East Blvd., Suite 150
704-332-5338
Venus Phli, a clothing boutique specializing in independent designers
Aquilya McIlwan: It's growing. For us, we're a new business so I don't think we really know the difference between the harsh and the good times yet. We came in during the recession -- right in the middle of everything. We are actually saying that it's growing. It just takes a little bit more footwork and promoting.
3039 South Blvd., # B
704-521-6005
BodyArt by Dave, a full-service tattoo studio
David Sinard: Our business is medium. Business owners who are striving and finding new ways to get their name out are making it OK.
10915 Monroe Road, Matthews
704-846-6003
Chen-Fu, a Chinese restaurant
Tony Chen: We've been here for 17 years; we're pretty well known in the Matthews area. We're surviving off our reputation. Business is slower, of course because of the recession -- at least 15 to 20 percent slower. We're trying to keep all of our employees, keep our customers happy and just hold on. That's all we can do.
9623-N E. Independence Blvd., Matthews
704-845-6282
The Boulevard, a boutique specializing in art, fashion, craft and gifts
