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Meet The Boutique Owners

By Nancy McRae

Let's Go Shopping!

“Shopping” is a uniquely feminine pastime, a way of relaxing and spending time with close friends as you hunt down the classic outfit or sparkling earrings or funky purse that is a perfect expression of you. The island’s outstanding boutiques have made Coronado a destination shopping area. From sophisticated to sexy, from one-of-a-kind pieces to casual resort-wear, you’ll find it here. And, as this interview shows, the delightful women who own and buy for Coronado’s boutiques are experienced, knowledgeable and just plain fun to shop with!

CL: What are some of the challenges of owning a boutique in Coronado?

Sydney Clark, Sydney’s of Coronado: One of the most challenging things is that every season, it’s a roll of the dice. Did I guess right? Did I buy right? How many people are going to come through here? However, I feel very privileged to be on the street front in Coronado, because people are choosing to drive to the island to come to a little store called Sydney’s, or Armoire or Zazen, rather than going to the big places. They like coming to us. They feel safe. It’s like we’re a home for those who want the tranquility and pleasure of shopping in Coronado, rather than an impersonal mall.

And they love our merchandise.

My store caters to women 45 and up, women whose waists may not be what they used to be! (Chorus of “amens” heard from the group!) We all go to market, but that market is geared to teenyboppers and we’re not there anymore. So women feel comfortable shopping with us. We know what looks good on a woman’s figure!

Kate Stromberger, Zazen art wear: There is a perception that things are more expensive on the island, but the facts just don’t support that. My store features artisans’ works. If someone’s dying the thread, weaving the cloth, making the garment, all that handwork is more expensive, no matter where you buy it. But my customers value the care and artistry that goes into handmade clothing and jewelry. I hear a lot of customers come in and say “I’m still wearing” or “I’m still loving” a particular piece. That makes me feel wonderful, like I’ve given them a special gift. I also carry things that are inexpensive. It’s a good mix.

Susan Warmbrodt, The Armoire: Keeping things looking fresh and new in a smaller shop space is a challenge. Even if it’s just changing the same merchandise from one rack to another, we want the store to look new and appealing each time customers come in.

Meredith Heinecke, Doncaster: I show in my home so my boutique lasts for about 10 days, even though we have a much longer fashion season. I also have a shop in La Jolla and “Doncaster” is online. The challenges I face are getting people to come to my home show, because they immediately associate that with a Tupperware party. Getting them to drive to La Jolla is like getting them to go to the dark side of the moon; people don’t like to leave the island!

Mary Ann Berta, La Mer: Timing is a challenge. We have to look six months ahead to figure out how busy it is going to be, so that we order the right amount of inventory. For example, when September 11 hit the whole world turned upside down. We had a large inventory coming in for the fall and holiday seasons, and suddenly all air travel stopped. That really hurt our business in the Hotel Del. However, shortly thereafter people started driving to the hotel, so we recouped. But when you have nobody coming in the door for a month or two, it’s pretty challenging.

Trends are also tricky. People don’t like to spend a lot of money on something that’s going to be out of style in three months, but will pay the money for something that’s going to last. When I buy I’m careful not to get into anything that’s too trendy.

Also, parking is a problem. Now that we’re getting more traffic down Orange, residents don’t want to drive down Orange anymore. It’s hard to stop and get into or out of a parking space.

Warmbrodt: Parking is a mindset. If a customer can’t park right in front of your store, then they won’t stop. Yet they’ll go to a mall and park “blocks” away from where they’re going. I can guarantee that just about anywhere you park in Coronado, you’ll be closer to the shop you want to visit than you would be parking in the mall, and you haven’t had to spend your clothes’ budget on gas!

CL: Who are your customers? How is buying for the resident market different from the tourist market?

Sharon Farquhar, Island Girls: Coronado girls want to dress “comfortably, sporty and fun.” Girls from out of town want the surf look —Roxy, Ripcurl, Billabong. Parents here want well-priced merchandise, whereas people from out of town will spend a fortune (chorus of “bless their hearts!”). So I’m buying middle end/ high end for our Coronado residents and high end for tourists. So far, it seems to be working quite well.

Stromberger: I have quite a following here on the island, and I also have customers who come from out of town every year, time and again. They tell me they can’t wait to come to the store to see what new things are offered. I don’t think about local versus tourist population when I’m buying. I just look for things that are unique and comfortable, and find that I get an equally positive response from both markets.

Warmbrodt: When I go to market, I buy for the store, and it just seems to work. Probably 50 percent of our purchases are from locals. I count the Arizona people who live here during the summer as locals because they come back to the store year after year. You get a sense of what will sell here. It’s a quietly sophisticated, fun, comfortable and unique “Coronado style.”

Berta: Being in the Hotel Del, about 75 percent of my customers come from all over the nation. However, we also get a lot of customers from North County, East County and Mexico. People will make their annual pilgrimage here. We carry items that you won’t find in department stores. Even though I carry some lines that are available elsewhere, like Karen Kane, I carry pieces that are more unique.

Farquhar: As one of the newer shops on the island, I opened primarily for the residents. My daughter is in Coronado Middle School, and she and her friends needed a place on the island to shop. I looked long and hard for our location in the Crown Shops. I didn’t want to pay the high rents because I wanted to keep my prices down. I’ve had great response in the nine months we’ve been in business. Mary Ann (Berta) pops her head in every now and then to see how we’re doing; we’re both water-polo families. It helps having two teenagers. They and their friends just hang out in the store. I’ve had a blast meeting the residents and the kids. The challenge is always knowing what and how much to buy. Little by little I’ve been trying new things and seeing how they fly out of the store.

CL: How do you identify trends and opportunities?

Clark: You go with your instincts. You go with what you like. You know your customers’ body types, how pants fit, how a jacket will hang. You pick what you think looks right, what will look good on them.

Berta: My situation is different because I cater to such a wide spectrum of women from everywhere around the United States. The New York woman is going to want something black. Anything black sells! But most of my customers from out of town also want the “Coronado look,” something casual, fun and resort-like that they couldn’t buy at home.

Farquhar: We go to the trade shows because that’s where all the surf companies are. In addition to the Los Angeles clothing market, we go to Dallas because they show different styles than L.A. When we went to Dallas earlier this year, the military look was hot. Well, I can’t sell “military” in Coronado, so I had to say, “Show me something else!”

Heinecke: Clothes are so personal. A woman might not react to something on the hanger, but when she puts it on, if it makes her feel pretty, nothing’s going to deter her from getting it. We call it “investment dressing.” Women continue to buy from me because they wear their pieces for years. It is a different way of thinking: instead of buying great quantities of clothes, my customer buys a few special pieces she can rotate into her wardrobe. It’s much more expensive to buy something on impulse (even if it’s on sale) that you wear only once or twice, than something you thoughtfully choose and wear again and again.

Like Zazen, our fabrics are unique. Our buyers go to a Paris market that is two football fields in length to pick their fabrics. The fabrics come from everywhere, Scotland, the Orient, India. All the best fabrics make it to this market, and then into our clothing. My customer treasures her item of clothing when she buys it and can add new pieces to wear with it as the years go by.

CL: What special services do you offer your customers?

Warmbrodt: We are always on the lookout for special things we can do for or give to our regular customers. For example, if a customer buys the Brighton luggage, we’ll give her the protective cover for it. When we go to market we look for special items that we know this woman or that woman will love.

Berta: Many of our vendors give us valuable freebies to give to our customers. When a good customer buys something in a line, like Karen Kane, she might get a beautiful Karen Kane cosmetic bag. I keep track of my customers, even those from out of town. I call them when we get in new pieces that I know they’ll like. I ship things all over the country. Also, men love to buy the pretty things in our store for their wives. The best sales are when the woman says “I like this” and the man comes back and buys it for her as a surprise. It’s very sweet. We love those men!

Heinecke: Speaking of husbands, it’s true they do like their wives to look great, but they don’t necessarily need to know the cost! We now offer a charge called Private Line that goes directly to the woman.

We offer our customers an enjoyable, relaxing and private shopping experience. People don’t like to go mall shopping any more. It’s too stressful, there are too many choices, you’re boxed into a dressing room with horrible lighting, the salespeople are indifferent and unqualified. I would have to say that all Coronado boutiques including mine offer a wonderful ambiance of friendship in addition to quality merchandise. To be able to shop here on the island is fabulous!

Farquhar: Actually the high school girls do like to go shopping at the mall. Their parents would rather they stay on the island, but the girls like crossing the bridge. They think exciting things happen at the mall, not in Coronado. I can’t keep my “tween” lines in stock, but my junior lines are a different story. The high school girls aren’t buying my junior lines — the “girls” buying my junior lines are in their 30s!

CL: What are this summer’s “must have” accessories?

Clark: We love the little embroidered and beaded purses that double as jewelry. We have a hard time keeping those in. Cross pendants are popular, and now butterflies are in. Everyone in the whole world has to have a flag necklace — our red, white and blue ribboned necklace is always good for the Fourth of July.

Berta: Accessories are very big right now. People are buying accessories to make an outfit look different rather than spend the money on a whole new outfit. Silk scarves knotted at the neck or worn like a broad headband are making a comeback.

Heinecke: “Pretty” is popular. Pink, yellow, coral, appliqué, fringe. “Details” are hot.

Farquhar: Crocheted beanies are in. Anytime I get accessories from Roxy or Billabong, they sell in a heartbeat. Even parents buy them. Myself, I wear Brighton, but my customers’ parents are buying the denim purses and 70’s-style flowers.

CL: What one piece of fashion advice would you give to Coronado women?

Clark: Wear what looks good on you.

Heinecke: When you put something on and you feel special, that’s something you should own. Life is full of surprises, and you need to be well-armored. I’ve seen my clients go through everything — health problems, marriages, divorces, affairs, children and grandchildren. Being well dressed is strengthening and confidence-building.

I’ve had people come to me who have lived in blue jeans forever, and I’ve watched them stand in front of that mirror and be transformed. They finally have the edge they’ve been looking for. They have a wonderful glow and you know they are thinking “I didn’t know I could look this good.”

Farquhar: I urge the girls to bring their moms in and have them look at something before they buy it. I used to own a full-service clothing salon where my clients counted on me for my advice. Selling clothes to juniors is very different. I have to be kind of quiet, and let Mom put her two cents in. I can suggest trying something on in a bigger size, because girls like wearing things really, really tight, and it usually looks better in a bigger size.

Berta: Break out of your routine. Have fun with clothes and accessories. If you love what you have on, then buy it and enjoy it. A lot of women will say “I’ve never worn anything like this,” but they look terrific in it. Women should not be afraid to buy something new and different if they look and feel good in it.

Warmbrodt: Buy what fits, not what size you wish you were. I wish I could cut out all the size labels! Just look at yourself in the mirror – if it fits comfortably, you’ll look great!

Stromberger: Wear the things that you love. Dress with pleasure and confidence in who you are today. Because you really are beautiful just the way you are.


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Reprinted with permission from Coronado Lifestyle, "the little magazine with the BIG impact."
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