A little bit about how it all started
Many years ago, I ran a little boutique with a good friend, which we named Whatnot Boutique. I thought retail was great when there were people in the shop. But it was awful when we were slow! I need action when I work. We both had young kids and our hours were limited. One day we were asked to come do a home show, and I fell in love with the concept of going where the people were. I realized very quickly that women love to get together, they love to purchase together and most of all they love to walk away with the product then and there!
Our motto at the time was “No presentation, instant gratification.”
Over the years, things changed — different priorities — moves, kids, but one thing was for sure — I always realized I loved doing shows and events! Always have. Always will. I love to set-up shows, merchandising and sell. I realized I had knack for knowing what looked good on women and what didn’t. When I purchase I have 6 women in mind. I visualize how certain styles look on them. For the most part it works — Real clothes for real women. That’s been my motto for many years now and I’m sticking to it!
A little bit about our crew
What can I say? We would never have been able to grow without the support of our crew. We’re a small but mighty crew. Just like purchasing for real women I like to work with real women. No drama. We all have a say in what’s working and what’s not! We all bring different strengths to the boutique(s) and to the shows we choose to do. I’ve learned to trust and that feels good because I can’t do it on my own.
I get the most messages about what an amazing crew we have! So next time you see one of the crew in the boutique or at a show please give them a personal shout out. It really means a lot to them to know how much they’re appreciated!
A little bit about our events and growth
After doing thousands of shows over the years out of my GMC Suburban, we bought an old potato chip delivery truck in 2016. After an extensive renovation by my husband and his bestie, we started doing shows and markets. We took any and all shows and we grew pretty quickly around the Twin Cities. Our biggest show now is the Minnesota State Fair. At first, we used the truck at the Fair, but we’ve since been relocated to a large tent space right by LuLu’s and the bandstand in the West End Market.
We still bring the truck to numerous shows around the Twin Cities, so be sure to check our events page to see where we’ll be next.
In 2019, we opened a boutique in my home town of Stillwater, Minnesota and the response has been amazing from locals and tourists alike. It’s the first time that I felt brick and mortar retail was the right move for Whatnot Boutique … everything fell into place and the timing was right. Because of our growth in Stillwater, we’ve decided to open another location in downtown White Bear Lake in Spring of 2022. After that, who knows where we’ll go from there — so stay connected and see what else we have lined up!
Thank you so much for all your support and being there with us through the years!
Chris + Crew