With $100 worth of used, re-purposed furniture, Kirsten Blowers Stuckey opened Fayetteville-based boutique Riffraff in February 2009. These days the business and its affiliated brands generate more than $7 million in annual revenue, and Stuckey was recently recognized by the National Retail Federation as one of 25 people "shaping retail's future."
Stuckey and I recently sat down to discuss how she's managed to grow a business that relies so heavily on a workforce almost entirely under the age of 25. The 28-year-old Fayetteville native and University of Arkansas graduate oversees more than 10,000 square feet of retail space serving Fayetteville's Downtown Square, Dallas and a burgeoning online presence. More than 200 other boutiques in the region purchase goods from Stuckey's clothing and accessory line Charlie Southern.
A partial transcript of my recent chat with Stuckey, edited for space and organization, follows:
While walking around the store, I heard a group of older women thank your workers for greeting them. They seemed shocked.
It's been strange and fascinating to watch our generation turn very media- and mobile-focused, where people keep in their own tunnel. It changes customer service completely, and for us that means Instagram and Twitter and Facebook. This is a whole different ballgame compared to what a boutique had to deal with five years ago, but customer service is juggling that with human interaction. That in-store approach is something we're proud of and hope we never lose. If people are going to take the time to come into your store, they're there for atmosphere and interaction.
A few million in revenue. Stores in two states. National recognition. But what do you remember most from those early days?
A year and a half into it I was still my only employee. I loved it, but there were times it was terrifying. All small-business owners run into that. I never had a loan or credit card. It was all cash. There were four clothing racks built into the wall when we moved in here. We couldn't figure out what to do with that space so I figured I'd just buy some T-shirts and see how they sold next to the furniture. That opening night we sold out of T-shirts and nothing else was touched. That helped me understand the importance of adapting your business to your customer.
Life on a college town square has been good to you, so why a major market like Dallas?
We visit Dallas quite often. When I'm out of town, I like to shop at other boutiques to do research and see new trends. We realized there wasn't much down there. We also had five really exceptional girls that had been working with us for a long time that were graduating in May 2014. I didn't want them to go work for another company. So it made sense.
Today you have 16 full-time employees, all under the age of 25. What sort of unique challenges does that present?
I think it's awesome. This would be absolutely nothing if it wasn't for all the girls who put in their ideas. I value their opinions. They see things from different angles, and we're willing to listen. We can have an idea at 9 a.m. and it's executed by 6 p.m. We're different than a lot of places because our buying, inventory, marketing is all in one house. Advertising. Graphics. Photography. It's all done by our staff and nobody is over the age of 25. They're all very brilliant, very professional.
Somebody out there has $100 and an idea for a business. What's your advice for making it work?
Trust your gut. You're going to screw up, but as long as you're honest with yourself and what didn't work, and you learn, you'll be OK. Every day you do something right. Every day you do something wrong. Learn from it all. And to make this work, you have to be somebody that doesn't mind always thinking about the business.
If you have a tip -- or Q&A subject -- call Chris Bahn at (479) 365-2972 or email him at cbahn@arkansasonline.com
SundayMonday Business on 02/22/2015