Raindrops
Hey!
Tami here, and today I have the pleasure to interview an amazing store called Raindrops. Raindrops is a store completely dedicated to rain wear. You many be wondering,
"Just rain wear? How do they work with that?" Well, I thought so too.
So I decided to interview them to hear about exactly people run and work in those sorts of businesses. I mean, since, inevitably, we have to grow older and start working. Natalie Jurcic is the daughter of Bobi Jurcic, who started this business when Natalie was only ten.
Natalie grew up working after school and on weekends, probably making her the youngest employee. Natalie's family is from Serbia, and I do get some readers from over there, so there's a connection. Also, Bobi and Natalie traveled to Italy, England, Denmark and over seas to meet with people who actually create umbrellas. You may think umbrellas wouldn't be a booming business but it is. People all over Toronto appreciate the practicability of umbrellas. Usually we just run really fast and try to make friends with those smart enough to carry an umbrella.( Tip: Don't talk to strangers in the rain!)
I asked Natalie some questions about the store and here is our interview. Hope you guys like it, as this is my very first interview for Rookie Hipster. I was actually pretty nervous, but I think I did okay. I mean, you try doing an interview. Not to go to high school, but an actual interview
1) What gave you the inspiration to open your own umbrella store?
Growing up (in the 80s and early 90s) my family had a wholesale business where we sold various "general goods" and gift items. Pretty much everything but the kitchen sink: hardware, toys, lamps, and also some umbrellas. Over time we came to focus more and more on umbrellas because it's an area where we didn't have a lot of competition. One of our accounts was an umbrella shop that used to be located at Queen's Quay Terminal in Toronto's Harbourfront area called "Butler's Umbrellas". Mr. Butler was a very nice Scottish gentleman who became our good friend (coincidentally he was actor Gerard Butler's father). Mr. Butler sold mainly very traditional British looking umbrellas and the shop was filled with mainly black, grey and perhaps the occasional stripe. In the mid 90s Mr. Butler unfortunately passed away, and his wife decided not to carry on the business. It was at this time that my family first ventured into retail, to fill the gap that was left when Butler's Umbrellas closed, seeing that there was consumer demand for quality umbrellas. Over the years we evolved from selling just umbrellas to include raincoats, rain boots and now seasonal outerwear. Since we relocated to our new larger home in Bloor-Yorkville last October the focus on fashionable pieces has become even greater.
2)How did it feel, opening your new store in a place where people will recognize you?
Our grand re-opening last fall was a huge success. We're really happy with the increased traffic, and more consistent business compared to our previous location on the underground PATH. It makes me very proud when new customers come in asking if we're a franchise or if we have other locations because we now have strong branding and look like a formidable business. I think in our old location we looked more like a "mom & pop" shop. It's always fun when I can tell a customer, actually this is the only location and my mom and I are the owners! They're usually pleasantly surprised.
3)Do you appreciate realistic over chic? Or funky prints?
When we do our buying we always look for the right mix of function + fashion. We want our customers to look stylish and on trend, but still feel comfortable and stay dry! My personal taste definitely strays more towards the wild side, I love bright colour and loud patterns. Today for example, I'm wearing a cropped cardigan with an over-sized black & green hounds tooth print that my boyfriend hates, but I love! My mom is much more conservative and classic in her tastes so we make a good team. She keeps me from buying things that might not have mass appeal and I push her envelope a little.
4)You do receive a lot of umbrellas from People like Jean Paul, Stephan Joseph, Romero Britto, and Guy De Jean. How does it feel, talking to these people? Do you ever get nervous?
The umbrellas that we carry from designer brands like Jean Paul Gautier are sold under license. Basically this means they've sold their design to a company that's specialized in making a given product, umbrellas in this case. So Gautier authorizes the Guy De Jean company to produce umbrellas with his designs and in return they pay him for it. So, we deal with sales reps at the companies that carry these products and not the designers themselves unfortunately! But I'd love to meet some of them one day.
5) Many teens these days are looking for interesting stores. How do you advertise to us?
Our current marketing strategy revolves around a partnership with Lotus Leaf Communications, a Toronto based PR agency who works to promote our brand and our products. They work every month pitching stories to various TV and print media that include our store or our products and also look for stylist opportunities to feature our products. Today for example we're sending out umbrellas for the cover shoot of the May issue of Châtelaine magazine. Part of this strategy is getting press in publications that teens read more frequently. For example we're featured in the April issues of both Flare and Fashion magazines. Additionally we have a social media presence on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest, which of course is a primary means of communication for most teens. Keeping up with these avenues allows us to reach our potential teen customers.
6) I have to admit, you guys have the cutest Kid umbrellas. Where do you get the trends from?
7) Now, I understand that you like to wear funky prints! My readers are such huge fans of prints. What you you advise for those who want to dress wilder?
My advice is really just to stay true to yourself. I can remember sometimes being made fun of in junior high or high school for my choices, but those same pieces I got picked on for, were also the ones I got the most compliments on. I remember these platform flip-flops I had in probably grade 9 or 10 with rainbow coloured stripes around the bottom. When I bought them, I think it was at Urban Outfitters my friends all thought they were terrible, but I loved them and bought them anyway. Sure enough, people used to stop me and compliment me on them all the time. I wore them until the thong part between the toes broke off. They're not something I would wear now, but at the time they suited my style. At the same time, I wouldn't recommend to anyone to dress wild if they're not comfortable with it. If you're wearing something just because it's trendy but it makes you feel uncomfortable, it's going to show because you'll be lacking the confidence to pull it off. For someone who wants to start off slow I think accessories are a great way to introduce bold colour or pattern in your wardrobe. Items like a scarf, earrings, shoes or an umbrella are fun way to get some pattern without overwhelming.
8) The Raindrops store has some very interesting mannequins and shelves. Did you and your mother design the stores placement?
Because we signed a 10 year lease in our current location, and considering our high profile neighbors, we knew having a well designed and inviting store was important to allow our business to thrive. So, we shopped around for interior designers and ended up employing the services of Marcotte Design in Toronto (http://www.marcottedesign.The mannequins were my personal project. There was a certain modern look we wanted and I scoured the internet to try and find the right look. One of the challenges was that I wanted uniformity between the adult and children's mannequins and most manufacturer's seemed to offer very different looks for adults vs. kids. In the end, I found just what I was after with Dutch manufacturer Hans Boodt (http://www.
9) I have a lot of respect for you, as I don't think I could work with my mother all the time. How does that feel?
You're absolutely right, working with family, especially with your mother is difficult! We bicker like all mother-daughter duos do, and it can sometimes be very difficult to separate business from personal. But we love each other, and generally never go home angry. The key to making the situation workable is having defined roles. My mom heads up our shipping/receiving, web/mail order business, and bookkeeping. I mainly oversee marketing, sales, ordering, staffing and scheduling and spend more time on the sales floor while she spends more time in back of house. It helps us keep our sanity.
10) This question has come from one of my reader asking " Would ever plan a fashion show or a Raindrops party?"
We actually had a very successful launch party in November of last year shortly after we relocated. It was an invitation only event for media and neighborhood taste makers to help get the word out about the store and our offerings. We had roughly double the number of expected guests so we were thrilled with the turn out. It's definitely something we'd consider doing again in the future.11) I also watched a video of you on the Morning Show. How did that feel? What did you do to prepare for that?
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