Asheville – Eileen’s at Biltmore Village is an upscale boutique with a niche that caters to women over 40.
She does her own buying at Atlanta Market, and she has exclusive rights to sell all 28 lines she carries in the Asheville market. When she and her store manager go to Atlanta Market, they look for items that are on-trend. They read reports to see what’s selling and what isn’t. Then, they look for items with those colors, fabrics, and cuts.
Asked what’s on-trend now, she laughed and said she just finished buying for fall. For spring, she said the colors are “bright yellow, black and yellow, pink and blue, and pale blue and white.” Pleated necks and ruffled sleeves are popular, as well as crinkle fabric. Pants are khaki-colored, but “slim cuts are dying off” as people move more toward traditional fits.
Some of the lines she has carried since she opened are Finley, Nic+Zoe, Lysse, and Renaur. Eileen said she loves that a lot of her vendors are women-owned businesses.
One of her new lines is IslaPayal, which self-describes as “ethical clothing for elegant women.” Out now are sunny, wispy peasant dresses that won’t disappoint. Another is Vilagallo, and it’s a little edgier than some of Eileen’s lines. She onboarded them because of their “bright colors and beautiful fabrics.” Eileen also sells jewelry and purses.
Eileen’s experience in retail began in 1989, when she was a buyer for Jos. A. Bank Clothiers in Baltimore. From there, she became the vice president and a designer for the German company Ulla Popken, and she “traveled overseas all the time.” Later, she was a manager for J. Jill for four years and a manager at the Bryn Mawr School store for six years.
Then she reconnected with somebody she knew over 30 years before. She sold her house and left her family and friends, and came to Asheville to be with that special someone who is now her husband. Then, one day, he said, “With your background…”
Finding the right place wasn’t an issue. Eileen and her husband knew they wanted a store in Biltmore Village. At first, they thought about getting a franchise, but with further thought, it seemed an original boutique would be a better fit for “The Village,” as Eileen calls it. Eileen just wanted to make sure she had a bay window, and she believes this has really helped draw customers into the store.
Starting a business wasn’t difficult. They didn’t tap the resources of the Small Business Administration or seek other forms of mentoring. Eileen explained that her husband had been a CPA before becoming a senior advisor for the Biltmore Property Group.
The store will have been in business for three years this Memorial Day. Asked if she had any great stories about overcoming obstacles, she said she’d had none to speak of. She opened the very day the governor lifted the mask mandate, so she didn’t have to invest in the floor stickers and partitions, limit her customer volume, and hypersanitize—things that knocked a whole lot of Americans out of business. She still required customers to wear masks, though, and supplied them to the maskless just to be safe.
She said business has been good. She seemed a little uncomfortable when asked what her biggest sale had been. She said one person purchased $2,000 worth, but it was obvious Eileen was more concerned about quality customer experiences. She likes spending time with women and helping them assemble outfits that make them feel good.
Asked what customers think, she referred the Tribune to online reviews. She said something people appreciate a lot is their honesty. Sometimes, customers will say they’re brutally honest. That is, if they try something on and their face looks questioning, Eileen will tell them not to buy it. They’ll be surprised, and she’ll tell them they won’t be happy with it.
Asked if she had any advice for the budding entrepreneur interested in opening a boutique, she said, “You should at least have a background in retail, and hopefully in design.” She said learning design helps in following trends. Also, “always know you are going to have hits and misses.”
Eileen’s is located at 3 Swan Street in Biltmore Village.