Interview with Entrepreness Nicole Whitesell of Shop Adorn

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July 9, 2010 by Cecilia D. | Comments (3)

I recently sat down with Nicole Whitesell, the owner of Shop Adorn boutique who I first met “online” when she was promoting her online shopping business, www.shopadornonline.com. Hosting product giveaways and offering free shipping isn’t a thing of the past for Nicole with her new storefront on NE 47th & Fremont in the Beaumont neighborhood. Now she can leverage her online retail while also offering customers face-to-face style consulting, in-store trunk shows and neighborhood parties! Entrepreneurial-minded indeed, maximizing and stabilizing her online business was what she said allowed her to open up a store. Her online customers also receive benefits from her retail storefront, which opened its doors several months ago. They can call Shop Adorn without jumping through loops to speak to a real person who can help guide them through fit and style. With comfy and casual lines such as Fluxus, LnA, Quiksilver, and Siwy, a person can’t help but look and feel good when shopping with Nicole and her team at Shop Adorn!

Read on to read my interview with Nicole …

Can you tell me a little bit about your background and how you started your business.
I studied international business in college. When I graduated I landed in construction, which is the industry my dad’s been in for a very long time. I wanted to work for myself, so I began testing for my contractor’s license and started building houses! This was between 2004-2009. When I became pregnant with my daughter Lily a year and a half ago, I decided I wanted to just focus on the store. My husband took over our construction business and I began to work at stabilizing the online store. Looking back, at first we started out only selling jewelry and watches online. From then we expanded and got more accounts, including clothing. It’s also very hard to get in with new vendors and most require that you have a storefront. Our 200 square foot space was this storefront, and we shipped items out of the back warehouse. Up until four months ago before we opened up our new retail location, our business operated 90% online and 10% in the old store. Just this past October we decided to change, basically relaunch, and hired a professional to update and implement SEO, create a friendlier shopping cart, etc. And can you believe that just within 60 days after, we had a 500% growth because of how search-engine friendly our site had become?

That’s great that all these changes allowed for growth in your business. Do you have a mentor or support system that helped you in your business also?
Yes, her name is Cindy Park and she’s the director of Project Hope, an organization that helps at-risk youth in Portland. My old store was in the same building as hers and she’s become one of my best friends. Cindy has tons of business experience and she helped me formulate plans and processes for my business. She’s full of optimism and always encouraged me. You should always have someone like that in your life.

What kind of style describes the lines you carry at Shop Adorn?
You know, this is something we’re still working on–formalizing who we are. Many of the lines we started out with were pretty much streetwear. When we moved to this storefront, we had to edit some of those lines out to fit in with our demographic and our customers here. It’s a different customer-base. And although we don’t specifically target this group, I get a lot of moms, stay-at-home moms in here looking for something new or a change to their wardrobe. Many of the lines we have right now I like to believe is comfortable, casual, and makes the person wearing it feel good about themselves.

Streetwear can be pretty controversial with their messaging and style. How do you feel about this?
I agree, and I have found that we started to change direction with some of the lines we were carrying because of this. We want to be transparent in our business and to be honest with ourselves and with our customers. I don’t want to carry a product that I don’t absolutely love and wouldn’t see myself wearing also.

What’s your favorite line or item you’re carrying right now?
I have a couple. I’m in love with the Quiksilver Limited brand. There’s amazing detailing, lots of great dresses and the pricing is very good also. Of course Fluxus is also one of my favorites. We’ve been carrying it since the beginning and with its new head designer, has boosted its designs and styles. It’s also a celebrity favorite and so it sells really well online. And everything is made and produced in the USA.

How are you liking your new storefront?
I love it! It’s light, airy and I absolutely love the neighborhood. It feels like a real community here and I really like that. There are a few things I would change about the store, but I know that every day it’ll get more and more to what I want it to be.

What are some of the rewards of being your own boss and having your own business?
Feeling good about what I do, like I never “have” to go to work. I also never have to answer to anyone but myself, and I’ll get as much out of it as as I put into it. I also have a wonderful employee who I can leave in charge if I ever need to go out of town or spend more time with my kids. And one of the best rewards is that being an entrepreneur, it’s pretty much a legacy–something my husband and I can pass down to our kids, to teach them and show them what they can have and earn with hard work.

What are some of the challenges you’re facing right now?
When we moved we had to change and edit our selection while also keeping our brand consistent. That’s what I lay awake in bed thinking about … how to keep both my online and storefront consistent, and to keep both my online streetwear customers as well as my customers in Portland and in this neighborhood. Another challenge is figuring out how to let men know we’re here and that we cater to them too!

What are your plans for the future?
I’m happy where we are and being able to manage what we have. It’s a good place to be but I definitely want to expand our selection and have a larger space in the near future. I also like being in smaller communities and how you’re able to get to know your neighbors. And I don’t want any future plans to take away from my kids. It probably took me the last four years to find a good balance in my life, and I really want to maintain that!

Do you have any advice you’d like to leave with aspiring entrepreneurs or business owners?
It’s important to stay connected, meet as many people as you can. And don’t allow yourself to think that you know everything … I love to pick the brains of others and am not afraid to ask for help. There are tons of free resources out there, and it’s also good to collaborate with others to reach your goal.

Photography by Amy Sexton of Thursday Morning Memories

3 Responses to “Interview with Entrepreness Nicole Whitesell of Shop Adorn”

• Angie Says:
  
  July 9th, 2010 at 1:57 pm

  Loved this article!!

• emily Says:
  
  July 20th, 2010 at 10:04 am

  I get the opportunity to work with Nicole on some community business projects & she’s so fantastic. This article really highlights the reasons why Nicole is such an asset to our neighborhood, and a successful business woman! She’s awesome!

• Leah Says:
  
  July 20th, 2010 at 1:55 pm

  i love this as well And i love my new Quicksilver dress!

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