Paige Avenue

Today our business spotlight is with Paige Seiver, owner of Paige Avenue – an online women’s clothing store.

Can you share a quick background about yourself – how did you end up in Utah?

I was raised in beautiful Northern Montana (close to Glacier Park and the Canadian border), in a small town called Bigfork. After my parents’ divorce in high school, I relocated to St. George, UT. I attended Dixie State University and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Human Communications with a Business Emphasis in 2012. I currently live in St. George with my husband Cameron and our 18 month old son, Mack.

What are you passionate about – what motivates you?

I was born with a very driven and determined spirit. My mom has always told me she never had to worry about me while growing up because my room was always clean and my homework was always done. I thrive on challenging myself. But, I would say that I am motivated by success and creating my own safety net. Like I mentioned earlier, since my parents’ divorce, I was left to grow up quite a bit at a young age and since my family always struggled financially I was determined that I would never struggle like that. So, I guess you could say I am very motivated by money. Not for vain reasons, but because I never want to be in a position of desperation. I am passionate about a lot of things. I’m a very deep person who has never felt her age. I was the girl in high school who never quite fit in because I was always searching for more out of life and relationships. I’d say that I’m passionate about always becoming better every day. I always want to improve, change, and grow. I’m passionate about challenging myself and challenging social norms. Questioning why we follow the crowd or trends. Things like that. I’m passionate about helping others and being a positive example in the world. I’m passionate about business and marketing, coming up with creative ideas, and proving the unimaginable, imaginable.

Can you share about your business?

I own Paige Avenue – an online women’s clothing store with a desire to give back to the everyday woman. Each month I have my followers nominate a woman they feel has exemplified strength and courage through the battles she has fought in life. Then, a nominee is selected and sent a specific care package, tailored to her needs, from our company along with contributing donors. We also try to send a little something to all of the nominees as well so they know someone is thinking about them. In addition to this little series, I sell modest, unique clothing that is mainly of a higher quality and make. I want women to see that it’s wiser in the long run to spend a little more and buy less. We tend to complicate our lives- even the things we add to our closet and I want to help them simplify that.

Can you share a little bit about the journey that led you to launching this company?

Honestly, you’re going to laugh. I was always a little annoyed with bloggers and the millions of boutiques on Instagram. So, if you would’ve asked me a year ago if this is something I would choose to do, I’d say most definitely not. However, last April I competed in the St. George Business Startup weekend with an idea to create rug covers, and consequentially chose the name Paige Avenue – completely away from what I’m doing now. I came in with an honorable mention.

But it was that experience that gave me the entrepreneur bug. (I’ve always had a deep love for fashion- mostly what goes into fashion such as the design, fabric, the creativity, wearing something tailored for your body and how it can build your confidence.) From there, I taught myself how to sew and I started sewing my own dresses, making my own patterns, and even sewing clothes for my son Mack out of my husband’s old clothes. Then I tried to sell my designs but realized that the amount of time and money I was spending wasn’t worth the very, very late nights I was putting in. So, I needed to figure out a way I could get to a point where I could sell my own designs. From there, I looked into simply being a retailer to eventually building enough capital to create my own clothing line. In addition to the clothes, I also felt that opening an online retail store was the best way I could get out into the world to uplift and help others. And so, I figured out how to build my own website, found some wholesalers, and opened up shop in November 2015.

You’ve had success with people wearing and blogging about the clothes you sell on your website. Can you tell us more?

Nothing extremely crazy, but I’ve had some successful bloggers wear clothing from my shop. I even got Al Fox Carraway (author of “The Tattooed Mormon”) to brand rep things from my store. I hope to keep expanding my connections in the social media world.

What are some challenges you’ve experienced?

I feel like there are setbacks and challenges every day. I made a rookie mistake of purchasing a newly created theme for my WordPress website which apparently is a huge no-no because the theme is still in beta and the author will most likely have a lot of problems with it. Which is what happened with me. I can’t tell you how many late nights I spent emailing back and forth with someone in Singapore who did not understand English. They would even tell me “they were too tired” to keep answering my questions because it was 10pm their time and 3am my time. But I was persistent and figured it out eventually. I went to my first trade show in Vegas not understanding that you could make orders without paying upfront. So I missed out on a lot of items I wanted to purchase because I only had a small credit limit for my company. But I eventually found the companies I liked, and tracked down the owners and begged them to send me line sheets that I could order from after the show. When I started the company we actually used the last of our savings to do so. (My husband is a pre-dental student and I’m a stay-at-home-mom, so this was a HUGE risk) We had no one we could ask for an investment outside of family (I’m a big believer of not doing business with family, it just gets messy) and I had to figure out a way to get a business credit card to keep buying inventory. Most of the companies wouldn’t take me, but I kept searching and searching until I found a bank that would give me the card I wanted with the no interest rate I wanted. It wasn’t a large amount, but it was enough to get me to the next step.

Out of these challenges, what do you feel is a key take away?

I guess I’d say the key lesson here is to just keep moving forward. A lot of the time you have to make your moves in the dark. I built and launched my store in 4 weeks and the day I launched I had so many problems, but ya know what? That’s how you learn. You can’t wait for things to be perfect to move forward. Which is crazy coming from me because I am the queen of perfection and organization. I’ve had to really let go of my perfectionist ways to be successful.  You just have to do it, and pray that your hard work will keep paying off, and when it doesn’t, you keep working harder.

Can you share some of your successes?

I’m still small and growing, but anytime I make a sale, or sell out of an item quickly- that’s a success to me. You never know what people will like and what they will buy. Every inventory purchase is a monumental risk – at least right now it is. So when I buy and sell, I’m learning more about who my customer is and what they like. I’ve also realized the type of blogger I need to work with, I’ve learned and studied a lot about email marketing strategies and how to retain your customers. I’ve always made sure to be very responsive and offer good customer service. Any little thing I can do to gain a loyal customer, I will do. And when those things work that is success to me. Even if it comes out of my own pocket. I’m not in it to get rich quick, I’m in it to get rich residually each month. My mind is constantly on the bigger goal- even if that’s years down the road.

What advice could you share for our audience?

Starting anything is hard. Gosh, it’s so hard. Not just physically and mentally, but emotionally. When you start a company, you’re allowing yourself to be vulnerable. You’re allowing others to critique and judge every move you make. You’re pushing yourself to learn in ways you never thought you could learn at a rate you never thought possible. You make big mistakes that are sometimes awkward and embarrassing. You may even lose a few friends along the way. But if you learn anything from my small little experience thus far on the entrepreneurial journey, it’s to just keep going. Keep going and serve others on that path. It’s easy to get so focused on yourself and your business, but you have to find balance, and you have to be hard enough on yourself to become better, but easy enough on yourself that you don’t destroy the work you have accomplished.

Any specific advice for those interested in the fashion industry?

If you want to get into the fashion industry, don’t allow the vanity to get to you. Don’t compare yourself to other stores or styles. Just don’t even go there. Trust me, I did and it just about tore me down. Focus on what makes you different. And find buyers who buy because they are loyal to you and your style. They will always be the best customers.

What can you share from your entrepreneurial/business experience that might benefit our audience?

I’ve realized being an entrepreneur is not for everyone. I don’t mean that to be harsh, I simply mean know yourself and know what you’re capable of. Know how dedicated you really want to be before you dive into something. If you’re not passionate about working hard, then start with that. Then create value for others.

What can you tell our audience, who might be looking to branch out in business or get started?

That if a freakishly pale, little 26 year-old mom with an insanely busy husband can start a business in her ghetto basement apartment, then so can you. You just have to tell yourself that you want it bad enough; that you’re willing to do WHATEVER it takes to get the job done. My goal is to grow this business to a point where I can simply manage it and sell my own designs and brand. And I will!

Where can we find you online?

Ladies (and husbands for your wives) please go check out my store – www.paigeavenue.com. Also, my Instagram/Facebook/Pinterest is @paigeavenueshop

How can our readers get in touch with you?

You can contact me via email: info@paigeavenue.com

phone: 435-862-9547

website: www.paigeavenue.com