Today we’d like to introduce you to Sara O’Shea.
Sara, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I’ve always loved entertaining, parties, and any reason for a celebration. My love of hospitality lead me to first start my wedding and event planning business, So Chic Events, in October 2007. After nearly six years of planning weddings and events full time, I found I wanted to create more ways to connect with customers and my community on a more continual basis. So Chic Boutique opened in September 2013 as a party & paper boutique in downtown Morton. We’ve since grown to have a location in Morton as well as one in Peoria Heights with both stores featuring beautiful gifts, stationery, party supplies, and everything you need to not only throw a beautiful party but to go to one as well. Both stores also have our “pretty little party room” – a room that we rent out to host events in. We’ve been hostess to over 350 showers and parties over the past five years and we couldn’t love it more. We also have a full-time graphic designer and stationery division focusing on beautiful invitations and paper. When I opened So Chic Events and then So Chic Boutique, I wanted to create a place that made our customers feel special and welcomed and to give them a reason to celebrate all of life’s occasions – big and small.
Has it been a smooth road?
A smooth road? Hardly. It’s been a windy, bumpy, overwhelming road but it’s one I wouldn’t change for anything because every turn in the road has helped to create what we are now and the vision we have for the future. I always joke that we are having constant growing pains but the growing pains only ensure that we are building on what we are and working to become what we will be. One of the biggest bumps has been figuring out relationships along the way. You hear often the “collaboration over competition” phrase and you’ll find that some people truly mean that and cling on to it – those are the people you want to surround yourself with. Others might say it but they don’t live it. Stay away from those. My advice for other women is directly related to one of my favorite quotes – “Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” It’s been a mantra I’ve clung to since I started my first business 11 years ago and it’s still what I go by now. It’s given me comfort as I’ve grown from a team of one to a team of twelve. There are days that being an entrepreneur and hustler can be hard and relentless but I know it’s what I’m meant to do because I leave every day still feeling passionate and excited about what I’m doing and trying to figure out how I can do more of it and do it better. There will be plenty of people that will tell you what you should do, what you can do, what you can’t do, how you should do it… instead, I challenge other women to figure out what lights their fire and figure out a way to make a career out of it.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with So Chic Boutique – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I’d like to think my store/brand is known for it’s light-hearted, sweet and sincere messaging and approach to our customers and the relationships we have with them. It’s also the thing I’m the proudest of. We are always working to grow as a team and grow in our community and to connect with our customers in a more meaningful way. Some of our customers call our store “their happy place” and there’s truly no better compliment. The fact that they can come into our store and interact with our team and find it refreshing and light and sincere, that’s all I could hope for. I think one of the things that set us apart from our others is our constant drive to collaborate with other businesses and share ideas or knowledge. I’ve always believed that, as small businesses and as women, we’re stronger together and I think people see that come through in the things we do.
Often it feels as if the media, by and large, is only focused on the obstacles faced by women, but we feel it’s important to also look for the opportunities. In your view, are there opportunities that you see that women are particularly well positioned for?
Goodness gracious – there has truly NEVER been a better time to be a female entrepreneur. There are so many networks and resources and people out there who want to do that very thing and it’s refreshing. Even when I started my first business 11 years ago, there was absolutely NOTHING like the resources available now. When I went through business coaching and workshops, all of my instructors were middle-aged, white males who couldn’t connect with my brand or my vision at all. Now there are Facebook groups, Podcasts, Instagram pods, webinars, meetups – you name it. There’s never been a better time to learn or network or grow – you just have to be willing to put yourself out there, make the connections, and ask the questions. The people who turn you down – you didn’t want to learn from them anyway. The people who share their time and insight with you, those are the people you want to walk with you on your personal + business journey. In fact, over the last 11 years, working with other women has become such a passion of mine I even launched a side business last fall, Fierce Spirit Boutique, which is an online clothing boutique where I’m taking 100% of the profits to help other women start their own businesses with our end goal being to purchase commercial real estate and provide low-cost rent to women startups. It’s easy to get addicted to collaborating and helping other women pursue their dreams when you’ve worked so hard to pursue your own. http://fiercespiritboutique.com/
Contact Info:
- Address: Store Addresses
111 W. Washington St | Morton, IL 61550
4605 N. Prospect Rd. | Peoria Heights, IL 61616 - Website: thesochicboutique.com
- Phone: 309-291-0753
- Email: sara@so-chic.com
- Instagram: thesochicboutique
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/thesochicboutique
Image Credit:
Kara Kamienski Photography
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
