Sep
15
Zovo Lingerie in University Village
Victoria Roberts opened Zovo Lingerie in University Village over five years ago. “I do all my shopping in boutiques as opposed to department stores because I feel overwhelmed in big stores – and mostly privately-owned small boutiques, not chain stores. When I went to go bra shopping before I opened the store, I was frustrated with my choices of where to go.”
So, instead of complaining, she decided to do something about it. “A lot of things in the Universe sort of fell into place in the same year. I was recently divorced, which really allows you to sort of take risks in a different way than you did before.”
Victoria began doing research while working in the corporate division of Starbucks, which she remembers having a very entrepreneurial feeling at the time. She then took a year off to travel and research other lingerie stores worldwide. “I really got a good idea of what the store would be and what it wouldn’t be,” she recalled. “I got to a point where I couldn’t not do it.”
The next step was choosing a location. “I knew I wanted an upscale shopping area, a place that was easy to park so that the customer’s were destination shopping,” she said, explaining the factors led her to University Village. “I would think that the students would shop down here, but most of these shops are kind of expensive for kids on a budget.” She does offer some items in a mid-level price range so that her store isn’t off limits to some of their closest neighbors, and does recruit staff at the University (employee discounts never hurt!).
Victoria also noticed a different group of local regular clientele. “There’s a real community of the Laurelhurst young moms that are down here just hanging out in the Village, so we do see them a lot,” explained Victoria. She also depends on the store’s larger reach. “Since we have such a unique assortment of bras, we get people from all over the state who come here because you can’t find this selection anywhere else.”
Victoria has been involved in building an online community as well, and has some definite opinions on what works for her business. “There’s just too much ego involved in Twitter. To think that someone would be interested in shat the store is doing every day?! We’re not a celebrity,” Victoria insisted. “I was on Twitter for about two weeks and just felt like it was a little much.”
On the other hand, she has found Facebook to be valuable to the business. “Facebook is a good tool for us because of the pictures and videos and dialogue that people can see from each other and other regarding the sizes and things they just bought. It’s good for everybody to read that.”
Victoria has come across the small business owner dilemma of your work being a large part of your personal profile. “You know how if you were to post something for you personally and it’s the same thing as your business posts, then all your friends see it twice? So, we flip flop – I do things one week and the store does something the next week. I offer things to my friends that the store doesn’t offer to the store’s friends and vice versa.”
Despite the presence of a number of chain stores, Victoria has even discovered a sense of community among the University Village businesses themselves. Past efforts have included partnering with village Italian restaurant Piatti and offered discounts for anyone bringing in a receipt from their establishment. “They do their best to get some sort of collaboration going on with cross-promotions and such,” she explained. “It’s kind of a built-in neighborhood.”
Zovo Lingerie
4612 26th Ave NE
Seattle, WA 98105
206-525-9686
www.zovolingerie.com
Facebook: Zovo Lingerie
Twitter: @zovolingerie
Story and Photos by Auburn Scallon
