Connect Style Spotlight, Goose Boutique
This month, in our Style Focus, we popped into Goose Boutique to chat with Theresa Kelliher. With recycling and sustainability at the heart of Theresa’s business concept, Goose Boutique is bringing a new era of shopping into a world full of fast fashion.
Theresa, can you tell our readers how the idea for Goose Boutique came about?
Certainly, I always wanted to have my own business, particularly in fashion. I saw for myself that there was a huge gap in the market here in Kerry for pre-loved and vintage clothing. I am very passionate about climate change, the impact on our environment and how damaging fast fashion is to the world. My own feeling on it is that we aren’t going to get a planet B, so we must try look after the planet we have and be sustainable, opening Goose Boutique was my own personal way of fulfilling that belief. So around 5 years ago I decided it was time to take a chance and opened up.
You mentioned sustainability, do you think people are becoming more conscious of how and what they spend their money on?
Will we ever win the fight against fast fashion? Probably not, but people are thinking more about what they spend their money on and the effect of it. For example, people order shopping online and the item is wrapped in plastic, it is then delivered inside another plastic wrapping which is terribly wasteful. So in that respect people are taking time to stop and think, “what can I do? How can I help and be more conscious of my decisions and the consequences on the planet thereafter?” I think the pandemic also showed people that they don’t need as much in terms of material items? They are definitely focusing more on quality over quantity.
What would you say to our reader’s about coming to shop in a pre-loved store?
The good thing about coming to Goose Boutique to buy is that you can be guaranteed that every piece is unique. You don’t have to worry about attending a christening, communion and seeing the same outfit on lots of other women as can happen with buying in big stores. I’m so lucky, I genuinely get the most beautiful consignments. But people don’t realise the treasures lying in the back of their wardrobes? I have pictures up on Instagram of pre-loved vintage blazers. The quality is just second to none, from the lining to the buttons every detail is exquisite. But the era they come from is different. If you bought a blazer back in the 70’s or 80’s you might alter it or get repairs done to stitching etc. because of the quality and pricing, you wouldn’t just throw it away as opposed to modern days when you can purchase a blazer for €15. So, coming to Goose Boutique there is a treasure for everyone to find and if you are after something of a certain style that we don’t have, we will try our best to source it.
If someone is thinking of bringing items in or maybe they are unsure if the items are good enough, what advice would you give them?
What I would say is bring in the items whether you think they are of value or not and we will look through them. You might think nobody will wear it but there is something for everybody
We stock lots of different types of items, from high street to high end. Not everybody can afford Dolce & Gabbana or Prada, so for that reason I stock items from labels such as French Connection, Zara etc. I am very conscious of stocking every price point so that everyone can afford something. So if its clothing, shoes, handbags or accessories, bring them on in to me and we can take it from there.
What label do you get most excited about stocking when you see it come in?
That would have to be Chanel. A Chanel suit will never de-value or go out of fashion. It is the type of brand that can be passed from Mother to Daughter to even Granddaughter once its cared for. The cut and style is so classic and elegant. In that regard it is rare to see them come in to the store, but when they do I get very excited about showing them to my customers. That is the one drawback to being the owner, I have to sell them on and cannot keep them for myself! It wouldn’t be fair to my clients to value items for my own use. I would also say, I do accommodate a deposit system where if you see an item you can place a deposit on it and pay it off at your own pace until the item is yours.
As a relatively new business, how did the pandemic affect you and has it shaped the future of Goose Boutique with how you plan going forward?
When the first lockdown occurred, I closed up and stayed at home. I continued to do so and selling online just wasn’t an option at that time. Going to the post office or meeting customers which was against all government advice at the time so I was happy to just do as we were advised and stay safe. I am currently working on a website and haven’t entirely ruled out going online in the future, another business angle I am looking into is rental. As I mentioned previously, sustainability is at the very core of my business, so I believe renting items is a good way of embracing that going forward. I have really enjoyed the return to in store shopping and meeting my customers once again. I look forward to welcoming new customers in the future, so if you are passing by, please do pop in to say hello!
Goose Boutique can be contacted on 0874545449
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