Today we’d like to introduce you to Olivia Dutton.
Hi Olivia, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Hey Gorgeous! Owning a boutique has been a dream of mine for almost six years now. I graduated with a bachelor’s in Interior Design and worked in the field until becoming a mom to two very handsome boys. I then became a stay-at-home and noticed clothes in stores or other boutiques weren’t very affordable. I wanted to create a boutique that moms could shop at and feel guilty for buying something for themselves.
Once I shared with my close friends that I was starting a business I had all the support and excitement to really get going on this new adventure for me. Finding the perfect shop name was a challenge but I finally landed on Olive Sun +co. I have two sons and a nickname I had was Olive while growing up. Putting a spin on son to sun just brightened it up and was more fitting for a women’s clothing boutique.
Of course, I dreamt of having my own storefront but the timing was right yet so I launched my website for a couple of months then had an incredible opportunity to have a space in a local boutique vendor shop downtown Temple called The Hub. My space was very tiny but I worked with it and it was flourishing big! I was living my dream. I then got an opportunity to move to the front of the store and have a large window space, I absolutely said yes to that and that is where we are today.
We recently celebrated our one-year anniversary of being open on Memorial Day. This past year has been a wild. I’ve learned so much about the business world and what it really takes to be an entrepreneur. It’s not easy and takes a lot of hard work and dedication. Olive Sun +co is an in-house business, meaning I do it all. It truly is such an amazing accomplishment for me to see and know that I am capable of being a wife, mother, friend and entrepreneur.
We host pop-ups as often as we can and we love supporting local and small shops. We have exciting things planned for 2022-2023 and hope you can join us for our journey and affordable shopping,
Shop us online at www.shopolivesunandco.com
Follow us on the ‘gram @olivesunco
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Every business wished its success was based off of a smooth road but that’s just not reality. Starting something new your bond to have challenges. Since this was all new to me I did a lot of research on how to even begin opening a boutique. All the legal stuff and accounts you need. Having a supportive friend really helped and kept encouraging me for success. Being a stay-at-home mom and running a business is most definitely difficult. Balancing mom life and work life is hard but I manage. Being my own photographer allows me to prove to myself that I am creative and motivated enough to keep OSC going. I do anything I have to keep my dream livable.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
We are located in Downtown Temple about 40 mins north of Georgetown. We are known for affordable women’s clothing. We are home to gold-filled jewelry and on-trend styles. We have NEW arrivals every Monday online and in-store.
When most people hear boutique they automatically think expensive well, that’s not us! We love being able to have shoppers come shop with us and be able to take home more than one item at a very affordable cost. We have been told many times by shoppers that they really appreciate our pricing and they will be back. This is something that will always remain. We truly believe that it does set us apart from other boutiques. You’re still getting great quality items just at a lower price tag, meaning you can take more home. Our goal is to have women feel gorgeous in their clothes and if our affordable pricing allows that we are going to keep rolling with it.
OSC is very proud to being able to make our shoppers feel gorgeous in all our items. We empower all body types and strongly believe that if you love it and want to wear we fully support you. Your happiness is our top priority and we will continue to do whatever we can to make that happen.
We have new arrivals every Monday online and in stores. For us being a smaller boutique we value being able to bring in new items weekly. We love to keep it fresh and stay up to the trendy styles as well as the closet staples. We love the neutrals but we also have fun with some colors and patterns.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
My husband, Brandon has been my biggest supporter and the first one who really pushed me to start this business. Of course, my parents are so proud that I have owned my own business and it’s successful. I have a small group of girlfriends who have been the best support and sometimes even help me buy the clothes that I bring into the shop. Managing OSC by myself gets very overwhelming and it’s nice for me to have my friends to give feedback on certain clothing items. OSC recently added brand reps and we currently have two gorgeous mamas that model and share all about OSC. I am truly thankful for all their support in both helping me grow by sharing about OSC and the personal they both express.
We are also part of a small support group, Boss Babes. It was first created on Instagram with a few small business that are women-owned and local to Bell County. We are now a much larger group on Facebook. The Instagram group is very supportive and uplifting. I truly grateful for this group of women to lean on collaborate with it.
Pricing:
- ALL $50 and below
- Free shipping on $75+
Contact Info:
- Website: www.shopolivesunandco.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/olivesunco/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/olivesunandco
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@olivesunco
Image Credits
All photos are owned and taken by OSC
