Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Olsen.
Emily, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Get Dressed started out as a selfish need. On Fridays when my mom (Erin) had the day off from work and I wasn’t in school we’d go shopping. A lot of times we drove 45 minutes to 1 hour or more, so selfishly we wanted more options in town. One day on Erin’s drive home from work she saw the Paws Up 4 You building was for sale and it instantly clicked that it would be a perfect location for a clothes store.
This was going to be a challenge because I am still in high school and when we started, I wasn’t even 18 years old yet.
I am doing online college classes, so Erin and I are able to make it work by going to school online and owning a business.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Our first weekend we were open was Black Friday and Small Business Saturday, we had no idea what to expect. We were so surprised we had so many shoppers in our store and sold so much, way more than we thought we would!
Good problem to have!! We had to learn quickly that you have to be weeks or even months ahead in planning to make sure you have enough in the store and be ready for the next season way before the weather.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Get Dressed is a clothing boutique owned by a mother/daughter duo. We want our customers to know that we’re locals to Princeton and that we’re open 7 days a week. We’re here because we recognized that there are not a lot of clothing options in Princeton. Stop in and check us out before you drive out of town, I think you’ll be happy you shopped us.
We’re trying hard to keep our prices low so that you can find what you need, but still stay within budget. We really want everyone that stops in to be able to find something they love for a great price. We’re proud to offer clothes for everybody (in our logo) we have clothing for men, kids, plenty of women, and even some plus size options.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
Many people told us that we’re crazy to open a clothing store because everyone shops online. And I somewhat agree with that statement… But there are times when you need something for a special event, or suddenly realize you need a new outfit in a hurry, like a special date night or girls’ night out. And for me and Emily, we just liked to shop in person, to be able to try it on first before we take it home.
I think the industry will continue to shift to more online, but I think there’s still a need for in-person shopping. I hope that we can gain some customers that like to shop both online and in person. We like to make a connection with our customers, we know many by name! We love to help people find the perfect outfit for their occasion. Eventually, we plan on offering online shopping, our building has a full basement that we plan to use for our future online store.
Contact Info:
- Website: getdressedprinceton.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086522317178
Image Credits
Kayla Siercks with KayMay Photography
