A Mobile Boutique That Brittany Reilly Opened After She Decided To Leave Her Glamorous Job As A Personal Shopper In Manhattan
Just two years out of college, Woodside, Queens, native Brittany Reilly decided to leave her glamorous job as a personal shopper in Manhattan to open her mobile boutique Bohemian Groove.
“I told [my dad and grandparents] what I actually wanted to do was start a mobile boutique, and they looked at me like I had ten heads,” Brittany recalls. “Like a lot of people, at first, they didn't understand what my vision was at all. And to be honest, at [that] point, I didn’t really have a vision, it was just an idea and a dream. I had no business plans.”
However, Brittany was armed with an extensive education and lots of personal experience. A graduate of LIM Fashion College in New York City, Brittany’s degree in Fashion Merchandising included not only a foundation in fashion but also a degree in business. Her first-hand experience started with internships with various stylist in New York City, and working as a personal shopper helped her stretch her creative thinking.
All this experience set the stage for success in a boutique business. So when she got the itch to see where her personal drive, solid work ethic, and creativity could take her, she began to seriously entertain the possibility of owning a mobile boutique.
“I thought, I’m still really young, I just have to take the leap and go for it. If I don't do it now, I’m never gonna have the chance to do it. So, I actually went into work one day--didn’t really tell anyone, didn’t tell my family that I was quitting my job--quit my job, came home, told my dad and my grandparents, ‘Hey, I quit my job and I’m planning on starting a business.’ In general they were just like ‘what are you talking about?’”
Brittany began searching for the right vehicle that would be the mobile part of her business and explored numerous options until finally settling on an Airstream trailer. When a 1972 Airstream in her price range became available, Brittany trekked eight hours to Plattsburgh to partner with Nomad Airstream, a company specializing in Airstream renovations. The designer she worked with, Andrea, took all of Brittany’s ideas, big and small, and transformed the Airstream into a beautiful reality.
Over the next year and a half, while the Airstream renovations took place, Brittany focused on selecting her merchandise and building up inventory. To Brittany, the brand she wanted to pursue was a no brainer: she would channel her personal bohemian style into the boutique’s merchandise, and give it a little flair.
“[The bohemian style choice] is basically because of my style…. I always, since I was little, dressed a little out there. I was always attracted to the bohemian look, whether it be flowy dresses or tie-dye kimonos--and I'd always get compliments on everything that I wore. So I wanted to bring my knowledge of different brands that I came across from working in fashion so that people would be able to find cool, unique pieces and mix it in with their wardrobe that they already have.”
The result was a style that Brittany likes to call luxe bohemian, which she supports with merchandise sourced from around the globe. She carries brands from around the United States, including California, Georgia, and New York, as well as merchandise from more exotic locations, such as Bali and Greece.
“I have a pretty wide spectrum of brands. Everything is curated by myself…. You’re not going to be able to find it anywhere else.”
Inside the mobile boutique, Brittany lets the merchandise do the talking.
“It definitely gives a very luxe vibe when you walk in. I have custom curtains that I had done from a local artist is Brooklyn. I found another local artist that did these really cool tie dye pillows for the lounge area which also turns into a changing room. I have a lot of driftwood pieces in there that were found in Montauk, and I have a really cool [wood] floor [with] with a really cool white stencil on it… I didn’t want to do anything so elaborate with the interior, even though when you walk in it still looks really amazing… My merchandise is kind of lots of prints, lots of color. I didn’t want [the interior] to compete with the merchandise I was carrying.”
Though she just launched the business in May, Brittany has already done a lot of traveling to markets and fairs, and she has big plans for the coming years.
“So far, I’ve been to markets in Connecticut, Jersey, New York, [and] Brooklyn. I’m just trying to get the feel of what markets are suited for my business. Hopefully next summer I’ll be doing an East Coast tour. Eventually I do want to head out cross country with the Airstream.”
The initial response to her business has been astounding. Brittany is constantly surprised by the clientele which the Airstream draws to her business. She has found that it allows her to reach a wider variety of people with her style and her brand--much more than she would expect to draw at a traditional brick and mortar store front.
“It’s actually incredible. Airstreams in general bring in so many different types of people. It attracts everyone. It’s really different from any mobile boutique in the New York area. You’d think that I was like any other brick and mortar location. They have a specific demographic. But I carry such a wide range [of] price points and such different merchandise that I can’t even tell you that I have a demographic. My youngest customer has been the age of twelve all the way up to seventy-five.”
Brittany plans to continue building her clientele and reaching a bigger demographic with a website where she can sell her merchandise and also share about her adventures with the mobile boutique.
“It will allow customers to follow and track me. It’s another outlet for me to get my brand out there.”
From building a brand to selecting the best merchandise, Brittany is putting her college degree to hard work. However, she is also learning as she goes, building her confidence as a business woman and entrepreneur along the way.
“Obviously there are some things I’ve had to teach myself along the way that has never come up before or maybe did come up in school but I’d never put into play actually. When I started the business, everything I learned--from school, interning, work, my own experience--everything was thrown at me all at once, and I had to put everything into action. I learn the most through my personal experiences. That’s how I was able to take the leap and start my own business because I was confident and I knew I would be able to handle everything.”
Brittany hopes that she can use her story to encourage other young people to think outside the box of a traditional work life and follow their dreams toward the lifestyle they want.
“I’m the first business owner in my family. I worked really hard through high school and college. My dad raised me as a single parent along with my grandparents. Even though they thought I was crazy in the beginning, they now see that my idea and my dream was really, really cool… Not only do I have a boutique, but I’m providing an experience for a lot of people that actually want to come in and see what it’s all about. I want to inspire young entrepreneurs… I want them to know you’re going to have really, really good days and really, really bad days when you think you can’t do it and nothing it possible. You just have to push through it, and it will get better, and as long as you’re happy with what you’re doing that’s all that matters.”
With Brittany's advice in mind, perhaps another burgeoning entrepreneurs will one day be able to join her when she says: “To be honest with you, it’s like living in a dream. I never would have thought this would be possible for me. It’s really crazy. I have to take a step back sometimes and think, ‘Wow, I actually have an Airstream, I actually have a mobile boutique.’”
Kailyn Clay
A graduate of Trinity Christian College in English & Political Science, Kailyn has written for Brilliance Publishing & GEMS' Girls Clubs among others. She enjoys hiking and cooking.
Make Sure To Check Out:
Bohemian Groove, a luxurious Airstream Boutique for the bohemians en route.