The Ivy Lane Boutique
For this month’s retailer spotlight, we’re going back to our roots! This boutique may be familiar to Georgia natives, and is a homegrown favorite, just down the street from our corporate headquarters! Are you in need of the perfect hostess gift, baby shower present, date night ensemble or wedding guest dress? Since opening its doors in April of 2013, The Ivy Lane boutique is a one stop local shop for gifts and more!
Upon entering Ivy Lane, you’re greeted by a large selection of women’s clothing items, from everyday outfits to show stopping event pieces! With tops, dresses, denim and shoes, the various brands available make this boutique one-of-a-kind. Ivy Lane’s collection of accessories is not to be missed, featuring specialized jewelry items from top designer brands to popular local artisans.
Beautiful displays of home decor and seasonal goods are at every turn throughout Ivy Lane. Every season is unique, with a winter wonderland feel during the holiday season, and bright pops of color during the Summer months. Need help or advice on how to style a space in your home? Just ask one of the store associates who happens to double as an interior designer! With a mixture of trendy, classic, and farmhouse style, there is something that is sure to bring a smile to everyone’s face!
We sat down with store owner, Julie Turner, as she shares holiday decorating tips, retail advice, and more!
Question and Answer
What makes Ivy Lane unique?
We appeal to so many different people, audience wise! Women of all ages shop in the store, and we even have men shopping for women! We have such a large variety of products and hundreds of product lines!
What is the store’s atmosphere like?
The atmosphere is fun and upbeat! We have a lot of knowledgeable employees that are able to help customers. The employees try to assist every customer and what they are looking for. We have a lot of fun events with Sip and Shop Saturday, Ladies Night Out, and school spirit nights. We host a ton of spirit nights during the spring and holiday time, usually twelve to fourteen a year!
What inspired you to open your own store?
My husband, Doug, thought it was a great idea to have a family business. My girls and I loved shopping and boutiques so when the space became available we decided to make it a fun, boutique shopping experience. My girls inspired me to set up a boutique with clothing instead of the card store that was there originally. My inspiration was to show my family the small business kind of operation and I really loved the store that was there. It was needed in our community and no one else was doing it at the time. I wanted to be the first to step in!
What ignites your passion for retail?
Retail is just something that you kind of catch and it’s in your blood, you enjoy it and you don’t let the spark go out! It is also great to help customers and I love helping people. I love seeing the positive reactions when people enjoy products. I want to keep the community together and have more involvement. My friend’s daughter came in looking for a freshman dance dress, and I knew the perfect one for her! I pulled the dress from the back, she tried it on, and it looked perfect on her. Her face was beaming and it was such a joy! Seeing her look good made me feel great that she found what she envisioned herself in. I helped another lady who came in randomly looking for a new wardrobe after losing weight. She was so excited and loved the one on one styling and I loved seeing her face when she looked good in the clothing.
How has Ivy Lane grown over the years?
I think it has grown method wise, by capitalizing on some of the products we have and are currently growing. Mud Pie is on trend every season, so we promote the brand a lot! I try to keep it very well stocked in the store. Using nationally recognized brands like Free People, Kendra Scott, and Brighton helps with advertising and it gets customers in the door because they are interested in those products. Also using local brands like Enewton and InspireDesigns helps because of their home grown audience. When they grow as brands, we as a retailer grow along with them. Ivy Lane has grown so much by mixing national brands with strong local brands and using social media to do contests, promotions, and print mailers.
What is your Mud Pie closet staple?
Any of the sweaters or pullovers! The Ramsey Ruffle Sleeve sweater is my favorite piece! I have it in every color!
Let’s talk about gift giving! What are your Mud Pie picks for…
Top hostess gift? Any cutting board, initial or not! They are such great gifts and great price points. They usually have such a cute spreader with them and are so nice when going to someone’s house. All of the serving utensils and spoons are always great paired with a tea towel.
Those are always my go to gifts!
Women’s fashion gift? Mud Pie always has really nice sweaters and they are great price points that are always on trend. I also love their spring dresses and prints, their patterns are always so cute!
Baby shower gift? I love Mud Pie’s blankets and woobies! The layette gift sets are such a perfect gift as well!
What are you looking forward to as we approach the season?
I love decorating the store for the holidays and designing our trees! It reminds me of how special Christmas is and what the season is about. I love that I see all of my customers at that time of the year. I love getting to visit with them. There are so many friendly people in the community and I love helping them pick out gifts. I have been in my community for 21 years. I love doing school spirit nights and seeing everyone bring their kids. It is really fun to get to see all of the friendly, familiar faces. I even enjoy some of the girls night out events with them too!
Aside from providing delightful products and service, Ivy Lane is a big contributor to their community. They host an annual fashion show fundraiser for suicide prevention in East Cobb high schools. Raising and donating 20-30 thousand dollars a year from this amazing event, Ivy Lane showcases their most popular brands, Mud Pie included!
The Ivy Lane Boutique has been a part of the Mud Pie family since opening, six years ago. With a large selection of Mud Pie products, ranging from the best-selling Circa serving collection, to women’s fashion & nursery decor, this one stop shop has inspiring giftables and items for everyone. Fall in love with Ivy lane today!
