Spotlight on independent retailers: Starburst Boutique

Hannah Jennings opened Starburst Boutique in Dartmouth in Devon in 2008, after relocating from London, where she had worked in fashion PR for the likes of Lulu Guinness and Oasis. Situated on historic Foss Street, the boutique’s idyllic setting has attracted a loyal clientele way beyond the beachside town, thanks to its chic style, handpicked selection of international niche and designer labels and personal, laid back shopping experience. FashionUnited quizzed Jennings on the USP of her store and how she maintains her position as key independent in the UK.

How would you describe the concept of your store?

The store is based in Dartmouth, a key holiday destination, and when I set up the shop I knew that there was a high percentage of second home owners here and that it was a fairly affluent area. I’ve been visiting the town and the region for years and had been in love with it, and I wanted to create a light, breezy store that would focus on really beautiful weekend chic, a weekend wardrobe with key hero pieces. At the time I really loved stores such as Liberty and Fenwick of Bond Street, and I thought there was a gap in the local market doing this sort of style here, because up until then it was all very surf and lifestyle driven. But I knew that that customer profile existed, and if I wasn’t going to do it, someone else would. That was the idea, basically. So the quality of the product and the quality of service were top of my list, because I came from that background, having previously worked in wholesale and then for a number of fashion brands. The right mix of labels is extremely important to me, so it’s all about having a strong knitwear brand, a great jeans brand and so on, and in addition to that I really love prints and colour, so I always want to get that in. I think one of the biggest selling points of the business and being down here is the location. We’re by the sea, it’s a nice holiday destination, there’s always been a good independent scene with good restaurants, good patisseries, nice art galleries – there’s enough to bring people into the town, all year round. I’m lucky to be located on a beautiful, historic, pedestrianised street right next to a well-known gallery. The position is really good, we’re a bit tucked away, not directly next to the multiples; there’s a lot of independent character here and it generates natural footfall.

How important is your transactional site to your business?

Three years ago I relaunched the website, and I now have quite a bit of product on there. I find that customers want to see what I have new in-store, and they expect to see it online. There’s quite a lot of pressure nowadays to get the product in and get it online at the same time. Overall the website has worked well and it does drive sales online and footfall to the store. The biggest problem I have found is returns and dealing with parcels going missing and the headache of that. Sometimes this can take you away from the store. So, whereas my focus a year ago was to push the online side, I’m now pushing it less. It’s nice to have it in the background, but it’s not where I want to concentrate my energy on. It’s tricky for independents to navigate both when you have limited resources, especially in terms of personnel. Customer expectations are so high, because you can go on fantastic websites that we just can’t compete with, like Net-a-porter, which a lot of my customers also shop at. They expect to go on your website and see you at that level and standard, but it’s tricky. Especially, since most of my small brands don’t even photograph their garments, some are made to order, and it’s impossible to showcase this effectively online. So I’m just trying to have a flavour of the store on the website, and in addition my Instagram is instantly streamed onto the website, too, so there’s always some freshness going on in this way. Instagram is brilliant for driving sales, and it’s a trigger for people to see what you have in for the new season and generates a lot of interest.

Who is your customer profile? Has this changed / is this changing?

I have quite a lot of locals, and then I pull in from the wider area. Our location is a destination for people, and so is the shop. There is a high percentage of second homers, and they come here a lot throughout the year, which I benefit from, because when they are here, they are in the mindset of spending money, because essentially they are on a break. Most of my customers are professional career women; I have a lot of architects, interior designers, surgeons, doctors, lawyers - a real mix of customers; a lot of people are based in London and divide their time between here and their main residence or work remotely between the two, they have disposable income and are quite brand savvy. I would say that traditionally my core customer has been slightly older, 35 to 40-plus, but my oldest regular customer is in her 90s – you wouldn’t think so if you saw her, she looks a lot younger and very stylish, but that’s the sign of the times. People dress a lot younger and look younger today and you have to cater for a broad spectrum of clients.

How do you ensure you keep engaging with your clients and build and maintain a loyal clientele?

Personal customer service and going the extra mile are key. Over time you get to know your customers well, and I do quite a lot of mail order, where I send stuff out to my customers and suggest styles and looks that I think they might like. If they like them, they can keep them and pay for them, and if not, they send them back. I’ve got that kind of relationship with people, which is nice. It takes a lot of trust, but over time you get to know some of your customers so well, you’ve been to their houses etc. That’s the beauty of being an independent. I’ve worked hard to establish those relationships, and it pays off; it’s something that the high street can’t replicate, as much as they try. This is where the true, core strength of the independent lies. Although you can get some very nice brands in stores like John Lewis, I don’t think multiples can sustain that level of service, that extra level that we as independents can give. And I feel that things are coming full circle again – customers are starting to shop more in independents because they know that the owners and staff ‘get them’, that they have their full attention, that they can trust their opinions and expertise.

Do you feel there are advantages to being an independent in today’s economic climate?

Yes, definitely. And I think the more the high street is struggling, the more people are naturally going to come back to independents. I keep my buying very tight, and my customers have learned over the years that once a style is gone, it’s gone. It’s the kind of exclusivity that my customers are looking for and that the big guys can’t give. So with this in mind, I’m actually finding it ok at the moment. I mean, the climate is undeniably tough and so uncertain, but I’ve had a stronger autumn than last year and a stronger end to the summer. Autumn/winter is quite a short season, and I make sure that I always kick it off early to build on when people are still on holiday down here at the end of summer, which works well.

What have been the key milestones and developments for your store?

Probably getting to ten years last October was the biggest one. There were times when I questioned whether I really wanted to carry on, because things were so hard and tricky. When I started, it was the midst of the 2008 recession, and the first couple of years were hard. But you get over that, and now I’m really proud of the shop, how far I’ve come and that I’ve managed to carry on and get to where I’m now. It’s the biggest achievement that I managed to be here for over a decade now. When you get really positive feedback from your customers, too, that makes it all worthwhile.

What are your key challenges as an indie?

The business rates down here have been a really big issue. They reduced this year, but last year the hike was massive. It was close to about half my rent per month. Another challenge for me and other indies especially in the South West and across Devon and Cornwall, is always going to be the seasonality, because we don’t get the same footfall and lunchtime rush that you get in bigger towns and cities, where this is what’s keeping retailers ticking over day to day. It is a big of a rollercoaster in holiday towns like mine where it can be very cyclical. It’s about learning to survive those leaner times. Peoples’ spending habits are also changing generally, it’s more about experiences than possessions, which then puts pressure on you as a retailer to give your customers a reason to come back to you and spend with you. You always have to keep things fresh and enticing, and that’s a big task in itself.

Where do you see the biggest opportunities for independents going forward?

For me, it’s all about the customers, that’s where the biggest opportunity lies, in the close relationships you have built with them. I’ve found that over the years my footfall has declined, but my sales have increased, and that’s because my customers’ average spend has increased. I have worked hard on building up my core customer base and nurturing it, always trying to source the products that they want and can’t find elsewhere. For me that means that I will speak to my brands and get a special piece in for someone and mail it out to them, or drop it off at their home. Personal service is so much more important nowadays, my customers certainly expect it, and if you can deliver on that, it will pay off.

What are the key lessons you have learned since running your shop?

I think in many ways it’s easier today to open a new store than it was for me, ten years ago, in the midst of the recession, because the mindset has shifted and people are gravitating back towards indies. If I did it all again, I would probably start online and get a taste for the business first and build up a customer base. And perhaps then do pop ups and then slowly progress to solid bricks and mortar. Maybe that would be the way to do it. I think what works for me here is smaller brands, smaller quantities, no minimums, brands that I can just pick up the phone to and talk to, who understand businesses like mine. Bigger brands just don’t work for me, let’s say the big Scandi brands, with packs of merchandise, huge minimum orders … that’s never worked for me. If I could change anything from the past it would probably be steering away from those brands and just keeping true to what I envisaged, which was always offering small brands in a small location, keeping the edit tight, keeping it exclusive and moving.

What are your plans for your store? Woud you consider a second branch?

I think I will stick to the one store. I’m from Winchester and sometimes I think I would love to open a shop there, but there are already so many good independents. That said, at the moment I don’t want to spread myself too thinly, especially with where the market is going. I would hate to have to rush from store to store and constantly feel that kind of pressure of making them work. I sometimes see that happening with other retailers in the area and I’m glad that that’s not me. It’s nice to be in one shop, in one area and to do that shop really well. That’s not to say that there won’t be any developments. There are always things in the pipeline; for instance, I have been approached by Trouva, so there are always new avenues to explore. I also do a bit of guest lecturing and I really enjoy talking to fashion students, so there are lots of different aspects that are keeping me nice and busy.

Photos courtesy of the brand