Leigh LeBoeuf inside Gamine
Dayton region stores adjust for struggling economy
By Jennie Szink B2B Staff WriterIn the fall of 2008, Leigh LeBoeuf, owner of Gamine boutique, found herself with excess inventory and fewer sales. The effects of the credit crisis and the rising unemployment in the Dayton region had hit and, nearly a year later, continues to climb. With customers saving more and spending less in the last few quarters, some retailers such as LeBoeuf have had to change their tools of survival, yet others haven’t been crunched.
When LeBoeuf felt the squeeze right before the “tough holiday season” in 2008, she made more markdowns than usual in her Oakwood shop, and her vendors allowed her to rework her orders. Now, when she orders, she takes fewer risks on new products, stocking her store with pieces she knows customers will pick up. “I’ve cut down orders,” LeBoeuf said. “I’ve focused on the items I want to bring in. I know my customers. I know what they are looking for.”
… In LeBoeuf’s case, her expectations for the summer months left her short of cocktail dresses for her customers. “I thought people would go to the back of their closet,” said LeBoeuf, noting she didn’t order as many dresses as she could have. Perhaps her solid spring and summer sales were a result of her “loyal” customers, as LeBoeuf described them, or perhaps they are a testament to economists’ predictions. Bentley said he remains optimistic that things are going to get better, but the question is, will it be the holiday season or the spring? As the past year shows, there is no crystal ball.
A big thank you to Jennie Szink for writing the piece, and to all my customers who told me they saw it.
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