Interview with Entrepreness Tiffanee Bean of Mabel and Zora Boutique

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February 26, 2010 by Katelin | Comments (3)



Inspired by the bold style of the seventies, Tiffanee Bean and husband Corey, opened Mabel and Zora four years ago with a distinct style and a talent for stocking the merchandise every woman craves. The styles are bold and bright, the accessories are classy and sassy, and the glamorous selection of dresses makes fahsionistas all over Portland weak in the knees. I caught up with Tiffanee to talk about the journey she and Corey have taken in opening Mabel and Zora, and their plans for the future. This couple couldn’t have been more fun to chat with, and Tiffanee’s passion for the colorful spirit of the shop is apparent in every aspect. I can’t wait to go back!

Tiffanee, you are the owner of an adorable shop, tell us how you started your business.
I’ve worked in retail and merchandise for a very long time. Earlier on, I worked in a store where the owner worked mostly remotely, so I basically got to run the place on my own. That’s where much of the inspiration to start my own shop began. On March 13th we’ll have been in the Pearl for two years! Also, when I was younger my grandmother had this great shop with white carpet and great clothes, and it was one of maybe only two shops in town. It was a gathering spot for women to get together and shop and have fun, and that’s what I wanted to do here. I spoke with her for a long time about opening my store, and it finally became a reality. I didn’t want to sell vintage or recycled clothing, I wanted to stay modern and true to the style of dress today, but maintain the same spirit of her shop. Though white carpet is VERY impractical for a Portland shop, so we’ve got these white marble floors and they’re about as close we can get. Overall, I’m really happy with the styling of the shop. There are a few things every now and then that I would change, but I love it.

You named Mabel and Zora after your cats, and designed it after Doris Day movies. What are some of your other inspirations?
I’m so in love with things from the past. I’ve always been one of those people that people say ‘you were born in the wrong era’. I’m not sure that’s true, but I’m obsessed with different eras. I’ve gone through all kinds of era obsessions, the 40′s, 50′s, 60′s … Right now I’m kind of stuck on my grandmother’s era and happy to be there. Two lines that we carry, Milly and Trina Turk are very retro style and I love them.

What do you like most about owning your own business? And what aspects of the business do you manage?
My husband and I cover all aspects of the business. I handle most all of the buying, financial accounting, etc …  and Corey takes care of the staffing and spends the most time in the store. It’s a big job! What I like most about owning my own business is getting to run things the way I want to. It’s also scary because there is no one to go to but yourself if you don’t know how to do something, or something goes wrong. Being a business owner is really difficult, and definitely requires a certain type of person. I know quite a few people that have spoken to me about starting their own businesses and have found out that the stress is too much. It requires quite all of your attention.

How fun to work with your husband everyday! Was that something that you planned early on?
Corey was actually a chef when we opened Mabel and Zora on Alberta. Initially it was just me running the store, and I think three weeks later (“two weeks later”—Corey shouts from the back!)–Two weeks later, I admitted that I needed to hire someone to help out in the store. Corey said, ‘why not me?’ and we decided to take that leap and have us both work full-time on getting this shop off the ground. It was quite a risk, giving up our substantial source of income, but it paid off and we’ve since been able to hire wonderful employees for both of our shops. We’ve become a family, and stay close even with employees that no longer work for us. That’s a kind of relationship that many people don’t have, and we feel lucky to have achieved that.

When you opened this location in the Pearl District, did you feel that your clientele changed too?
I think if anything, we were able to gain even more customers. Most of our regular customers continued to shop here, and we were shocked to find that so many of our new visitors hadn’t heard of us or even the Alberta District before. Also in opening this location, we gained access to the very large tourist destination that is the Pearl District. During the summer it’s like we’re in a real destination city and it’s fun! Overall, we attract an older customer with great taste, and we’ve been able to just build on that client base in the Pearl.

What is your favorite place to take a break in the Pearl?
We are definitely Hot Lips Pizza people. We go there almost every day, and it is so good! Also the park is right at the end of our block, so we love to walk there in the summer and watch the puppies, and of course get Cool Moon Ice Cream. That stuff is too good! We even get it during the winter, I’m sure people think we’re crazy, walking around in the rain with ice cream.

Since you do all of the buying for Mabel and Zora, what is your favorite season to stock for?
Summer! I love dresses and bright colors. Summer is so much fun, and it’s the perfect season for my favorite clothes.

What are some challenges with buying for your store?
Editing, editing, editing. When we used to go to market, we would look at everything and always over-buy. Now, we try to be more focused, find what we came for, and leave! It helps us to be more consistent with the clothes that we stock. I’ve found that the things that I like sells, and the things I’m not so sure about end up on the sale rack. I’ve had to learn to really trust myself. Though I do have to keep our customers in mind as well. I love kitsch, I swear I’m making our house into the Brady Bunch house, and I love it! If Corey would let me have green shag carpet we would. But I have to remember that not everyone has my exact taste. Also, we’re making a real effort to find clothes that fit all different body types. It’s challenging, but we do our best to find good pieces to accommodate everyone in a flattering way. Another challenge, is being aware of trends. Again, we’re trying really hard to stay true to the specific types of clothes that we’ve built our store’s reputation on and the items that we’re excited about. If there’s an airline stewardess-looking dress in a bright color, we’re definitely getting it. But it can get really hard when you go to market and literally EVERYONE is wearing fringe, or pink. It feels like once a trend becomes popular you can’t get away from it. We want to stay modern and trendy, but maintain our individual style.

Portland’s fashion scene seems largely focused on supporting local designers. Do you feel a responsibility to this movement or does it interfere with your stylistic vision?
It’s true that there are many great designers here in Portland. But they are also represented in a lot of boutiques. We wanted to stay away from being just another local Portland boutique and offer something different and uniquely us. We pay a lot of attention to the practices of the companies we buy from and in some cases have had to stop carrying certain brands over disagreements in practices. In our opinion, it’s important to support brands that we can get behind AND fit with the style of our store and customers. Ultimately that means that we don’t carry a ton of Portland made products, but pay close attention to where and how the items we purchase are made. For example, we carry almost everything that Trina Turk designs and over 70% of it is made in America. We also carry Angela Arnold jewelry, a lot of Betsy & Iya, and many of my sister-in-law’s designs, all Portland made.

What is the most rewarding aspect of your job?
There are several different rewarding aspects. The first is more of a daily reward, and that’s having customers walk away happy. Like yesterday, we had a customer come in fifteen minutes before closing. She had driven from Salem, and had been shopping all day for a dress to wear to a wedding. She had a very slim, tall, athletic build and couldn’t find a thing to fit her. I suggested a sleeveless cowl neck dress, and it looked stunning on her! She was SO excited because all day, no one had helped her or suggested anything like the dress. She left so happy, originally thinking that she would have to go home empty-handed, and we were able to give her something she loved and felt confident in. That felt really good.

But I don’t work in the store all of the time, so I don’t get to be a part of everyone’s shopping successes. For me the most constant reward is the fact that we’ve been in business for almost four years. It feels like such a great accomplishment, that even if the store were to close tomorrow I wouldn’t regret it because of what a great experience it’s been.

What is this season’s must-have item in the shop?
Bright colors! Big sellers for spring have been our items in peacock teal. It seems like everyone has to have something in that shade this season, it has blown off the racks. Also here in Portland, I think long sleeved, bright colored cardigans are a must. In other parts of the country, springtime means sundresses and sandals, but here we have to stay a little more covered up, so bright colored cardigans are great.

What is the most important staple of your own closet?
All of my Trina Turk outfits, she’s probably my favorite designer. She is from Palm Springs, and I just visited her store. It looked almost identical to ours! She loves the same kind of jet set, bold colors, seventies design aesthetic that I do. It was like a brain share between the two of us. So all of the items I have of hers are in a special section of my closet.

Do you have plans for the future of Mabel & Zora?
For the moment, our biggest initiative is introducing our own clothing line. There are sometimes gaps that you wish you fill in your store, but can’t find what you’re looking for. Introducing our own line would help us to supply our customers with everything we want to offer them, and give customers an even better reason to shop here since our line will be sold exclusively at Mabel and Zora! But since I’m still in school, that is awhile down the road. For now we’re happy with where we are, we want to continue to evolve our buying, and enjoy starting our family.

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Comments (3)   |   10:00 am

3 Responses to “Interview with Entrepreness Tiffanee Bean of Mabel and Zora Boutique”

  • betsy and iya Says:
    February 26th, 2010 at 3:15 pm

    one of the best in Portland!

  • Annette Warnick Says:
    February 27th, 2010 at 3:12 pm

    Great interview! Can’t believe I haven’t been there yet. Adding it to my must-do list.

  • Angela Says:
    March 4th, 2010 at 12:19 am

    Love the clothes & accessories, love the shop, love Tiffanee & Corey. Need I say more.

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