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CRAVE BlogInterview with Entrepreness Gretchen Alley of Bernadettes.com
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As the technology of consumerism evolves, bringing Internet flash sales to our fingertips and online-only promotions to our PDA’s, there’s no denying the convenience of this new Internet-centric style of shopping. However, according to Gretchen Alley, owner of the sophisticated and well-stocked online boutique: Bernadettes.com, there’s no substitute for personalized service and a unique inventory. Though traditionally found in brick-and-mortar establishments, Gretchen has created the perfect hybrid of online convenience with the venerability of a well-seasoned vintage shop. The inventory at Bernadette’s is comprised of hand-selected pieces of distinction from all over the world, thanks to Gretchen’s many international connections, whose paramount focus is providing items steeped in the richness of traditional craftsmanship and the thrill of rare designer finds. A visit to Bernadette’s is the perfect cure to the familiar frustrations of gift giving and the occasional personal pampering. In a world where new doesn’t always mean improved, this sweet online boutique seems to prove that a happy balance truly does exist.
Hi Gretchen, tell us a little about yourself.
I’m originally from Austin, Texas and I did real estate and investments for my family while I was there. After my husband passed away, I decided I needed to do something different, so I moved to Jackson Hole, Wyoming and stayed there for about eight years. I moved to Portland when my son came out here, and now I travel between here, Jackson Hole, and Austin.
Do you find differences in personal style between cities?
Yes, it’s interesting. There’s a lot of cowboy culture in Wyoming, in the art, music, etc. But then there’s a whole different group there as well. A friend of mine has a very high-end boutique there and she goes to Paris, Milan, New York, London … So it’s an interesting combination of the Western culture and a lot of money from Chicago and the East Coast.
What is you target clientele?
My target market is men, and women between 25 and about 40 with disposable income, who are looking for something they can’t find anywhere else. They’re shopping for someone who has everything in the world, or maybe for someone who is looking for a particular bag or accessory and just can’t find what they want. I think that a lot of people find that they want certain things but they just don’t have a lot of time to look for them, it’s not the focus of their day. If a friend knows you’re looking for it and they stumble across it, it’s pretty neat. Not like a Jimmy Choo from Bergdorf’s that anyone can get, this is a Louis Vuitton vintage flat that isn’t made anymore.
Also men who have women friends who are demanding. It’s not so much that they can use the present, but that the guy listened and got something unique for them. They didn’t just go to Jared.
What makes the Bernadette’s shopping experience unique?
When you go shopping it feels like you see the same thing everywhere. Somebody gets a good idea and everyone else copies it. At Bernadette’s I have items that are very unique. Some are just junky fun, for white elephant gifts and such, and others things are really special. Many of my friends whom I consider to be pretty high-end shoppers comment on my pieces saying things like ‘I had no idea that even existed,’ like the Halston compacts I carry. There are some listed on Ebay but mine are new and unused. And that’s what I look for. I used to have an antique shop in Austin, and from there I have great connections with what I call ‘pickers’. They’re people that I know from years back, they travel all over, and they know me and what I’m looking for. If they find something that they think is really unique they pick it up for me. I also travel, and what we all look for above everything else is uniqueness beyond simply what you could find at an average vintage store.
How often do you travel?
More than I’d like to. Oftentimes I’ll take little driving trips, that way you can find interesting out of the way places on the road. Sometimes you don’t find anything, maybe just a good place to eat, but other times you find amazing places to stop along the way. Having connections with my ‘pickers’ also helps, because they can do some of the shopping for me. Don’t you ever find that when you’re shopping just to look, you find something that you just love, but you don’t need it? That’s where it’s fun for them, because they can shop and still pick things up because they know I’ll take it. When they send the pieces to me, it’s like Christmas!
In your opinion, what is the benefit to buying vintage?
The way I see it, there’s really nothing new in the market, if you study fashion you can see that a lot of the items that come out have already been done, just changed a little bit. And sometimes I don’t think they change it for the better. So if you’re buying vintage, you’re buying a lot of the originals. There are few designers that are doing things that are so incredible, and you just want to get their things just hold on to them for ten or fifteen years down the road, but there’s not a lot of that today. So buying vintage means you’re getting the original look. A lot of times you’re getting better quality. A lot of jewelry I have is costume jewelry, but there’s a difference between the costume jewelry of today that’s disposable and that of the 1940’s and 50’s, it’s really hard to tell that they aren’t real. That’s hard to get today, you just don’t have the craftsmen to produce it.
I imagine your own collection is full of great pieces. Do you have a favorite piece or designer?
I’ll always pick up David Webb jewelry and original Halstons. And a lot of times it just depends on the condition, it may be something I love, but many times people try to repair jewelry but they don’t take it to someone with a lot of experience of the era they’re restoring. Kind of like people who polish silver to where there’s none of the black left, and you’re like ‘my God it looks like it’s stainless steel!’ So if you don’t know who to take it to, then it’s ruined, in those cases I don’t purchase the pieces.
You donate a percentage of proceeds of to a charity of choice each quarter. How do you choose the charities?
From friends. Bernadette is my puppy, and I really feel for animals, so a lot of it is animal related charities. I don’t know if it will stay that way, but a lot of these animal charities don’t get the publicity they need.
What are some challenges to being an Internet entrepreneur?
Having had both online and storefront shops, I think the challenge is the same: getting the word out. It just goes on forever, and I’m always working on it. There’s always somebody out there newer, so you’re fighting that. And sometimes, you just can’t buy the advertising, it has to be word of mouth. And what I’m trying to do with Bernadette’s, the website, is make it into the store that maybe your mother or grandmother would have gone into years ago, with that personal touch. Where they could actually talk to the owner, and feel that they really cared about you and making you happy. So if you want your note written a special way, or name spelled a certain way, and it’s a handwritten note that comes to you with your package, we’ll do that. Also, the wrapping is beautiful and its’ wrapped so that when it comes to you, you can open it and see if you really like what you bought. I hate when I buy something to give to someone else, and it’s wrapped in a way that I don’t get to see and handle it. We do our wrapping so that you can open it and then wrap it back up and it looks the same. To me, that’s important. The fact that you can text, call, email us and we’ll get back to you with more pictures, or whatever you need. It’s about service, and I think that’s something that’s really missing in society today. I’m hoping that is what makes Bernadette’s special.
What are your plans for the future of Bernadettes?
I would like for more people to know we’re out there, that’s one thing. And just to keep searching for that very special item that maybe someone bought a long time ago, never wore, and stuck in the back of their closet, left in perfect condition. Those are great finds! Give us a try, and you’ll see what a unique experience we have.