Garmento: Inside Boutique-Owning

Aside from fashion designing and styling, one of the most popular aspirations of budding fashionistas is to open their own boutique. We caught up with Rony Vardi, owner of popular Williamsburg boutique Catbird, to get a reality check on what it takes to bring that dream to fruition in NYC.

Rony decided to start Catbird because she saw a gap in her local neighborhood…there weren’t really any boutiques with designer brands and super-wearable clothes. On her daily trek from the Lorimer L train, she saw a tiny shop in a great location for rent, and decided to take the leap into boutique-owning. Several years, a second location and an e-store later, she’s happy that she took the risk. Her business has been steadily growing, and allows her to do what she loves, while spending time with her growing family. Rony and Tiffany Porter, her right-hand manager/assistant buyer at the Metropolitan Avenue location, gave us some advice for those considering boutique-owning as a career:

*Get the experience you need to own a boutique by managing one first…that’s what Tiffany is doing, and she’s gotten great experience buying, merchandising and managing as a result.

*Be aware of the neighborhood you are in- where the high-traffic areas are, what nearby shops stock the brands you are looking for, what the local shopper wants to buy.

*Be a good judge of character and only work with people who are reliable and you can trust…your boutique is only as good as the staff running it.

*The financial commitment to starting a boutique may not be as enormous as you think…financial back always helps, but at some point you have to take the leap!

Catbird may have started small, but between the two locations they have expanded from ladies apparel to jewelry, accessories, shoes, home goods, kidswear and more. For more information, check out www.catbirdnyc.com. Catbird is located at 390 Metropolitan Avenue and 219 Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.


Video by Justin Perkinson

About Garmento: Garmento is a weekly feature on Coutorture devoted to giving you an inside look at the real fashion industry. Before the runway reviews and the photo shoots, before the ad campaigns and the Vogue editorials, an enormous network of fashion professionals are involved in the creation of every garment. Check us out every week for a new perspective on each step, from trend forecasting and design to manufacturing and sales. With every new profile, you’ll see that whether your fav outfit is from H&M or Hermes, the process is the same. Don’t become a fashion victim- inform yourself weekly with Garmento, and unleash the smart and savvy shopper within.

About Bob Bland: Bob Bland is a freelance writer and professional menswear designer with experience at Triple Five Soul, Rugby by Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger and Banana Republic. She is also the designer and founder of Brooklyn Royalty, a Williamsburg-based line of men’s and ladies’ apparel. Founded in 2006, the line combines timeless design principles, premium materials and hand-printed graphics for indispensible garments that are meant to look and wear better over time. For more on Bob Bland and Brooklyn Royalty, check out www.brooklynroyalty.com.