Verve chats with Simply Wonderful store co-owner, Kathryn Butler.
How did you come to own the store?
I worked for the previous owner for six years. She wanted to retire and offered me the business. Initially I walked away and got a job in a designer store, as I didn’t have the confidence to purchase. After working in the new position, I learned I didn’t enjoy selling just one label. My husband and I had a deep discussion and thought, what is the worst-case scenario should we go ahead and take over Simply Wonderful clothes. We decided to give it a go and after two years I opened the store in Epsom and a few years later another in Mairangi Bay. After years driving in Auckland traffic, we decided to sell Mairangi Bay. Then in 2019 we closed our Birkenhead store due to the change in demographics in the area. We now have just the Epsom store, close to where we live.
What do you find most rewarding about your role?
How our customers tell us how they love our selection of garments, the personal service, and the fun they have as we help them find the right clothes.
Tell us about your customers?
Many are over 50. As we get older, we can lose confidence about what suits us. I love taking them out of their comfort zone and encouraging them to try a more modern look. This is done to suit their personality, lifestyle, and pocket. We strongly encourage to try with no pressure to buy.
How do you choose your stock?
Good old-fashioned gut instinct! If garments impress us, then why won’t they do the same for our customers? We always look for new looks and trends along with the good old basics. We are a shop as apposed to a boutique in so we can often provide a whole wardrobe. We do pick up and drop brands as we go but have a great brand range that we’ve carried always.
What sets you apart?
There seem to be fewer stores out there that carry the range we do, with so much online now. We won’t go there as the personal side of getting to know our customers matters more to us than turnover. We have ridden, along with many others, the difficult past three year, and still going through yet another. I love a challenge!
Tell us about your style?
Although I really love dressing other women, I’m a lazy dresser. I do love well-fitting trousers and zany tops to wear under a jacket. This summer I started wearing more dresses. They are so comfortable and easy to wear with a sneaker. I love easy garments…but with a twist.
What would you advise others starting out in the industry?
I can’t advise on the design side career wise, but retail is not that easy. I think the biggest thing is to know your customer and cater to them. You will never please everyone. Old fashioned service goes a long way. I have been ignored in too many stores. We are very proud to be still helping customers that have been with us for 30-plus years.
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