One way to help your business thrive is to expand your customer base.
An Old Saybrook shop is doing just that – and adding 50 percent of the population to its list of potential customers.
Pearls and Plaid, a boutique in Old Saybrook that has been focused on women’s fashion, reopened this past week with a change. It has expanded into menswear too with its store within a store, Post Road Supply.
The business, which has been closed for renovations since January, hosted a grand reopening on March 26 to spotlight its remodelled space and the addition of inventory geared toward men.
Owner Caroline Olson said she is thankful to be in business after a “really tough year.”
“To be opening a whole new brother store is such an amazing opportunity,” she said. ”We appreciate everyone in this community who has supported us and allowed us to keep thriving. Post Road Supply is a whole new experience, I think men of all ages are going to love it.”
Pearls and Plaid debuted in 2014 in a 500-square-foot store in East Haddam, selling women’s clothing, accessories and jewelry. The store moved to Old Saybrook in 2016 and is now in a much larger 3,500-square foot space at 889 Boston Post Road.
The sibling Post Road Supply store is in the same location, comprising half of the original Pearls and Plaid space.
According to Olson, her goal is to provide two “incredible shopping experiences, side by side.”
Caroline Olson, left, and Emily Bordman
Post Road Supply sells an array of men’s clothing, including workwear and everyday wear, such as the Southern Marsh and RVCA brands. The store also carries other items, such as Duke Cannon soaps for men, Stanley drinkware and BBQ sauce from Bear’s Smokehouse.
“The response has been amazing,” Olson said. “The community has totally showed up this past week and a half.”
The pandemic negatively impacted the business, and Olson said she has tried to be innovative, such as by offering online and Instagram shopping options, curbside contactless pickup and special “try on” events which customers have been able to watch from home.
“Like all in-person retail, we were hit hard,” Olson said. “This past week has been the most ‘normal’ since the day we closed. We opened the men’s store in response to the pandemic in an effort to utilize our space to its best ability.”
Contact Michelle Tuccitto Sullo at msullo@newhavenbiz.com.
