It should be known that White Dog opened on Massachusetts Avenue in downtown Indianapolis in November of 2011. I'm just now getting around to chatting it up! Oh the joys of having very little time - or more like difficulties prioritizing.
Carrying on. I was convinced from the time that I was 21 years old that I would have a shop. I lived and worked in New York City in the fashion district. I spent hours going to wholesalers asking for their cards and trying to learn the business. I'm sure they all laughed a little when I left - I was just so young and naive.
I didn't stop talking about and I didn't stop thinking about it for 10 years! I'm pretty sure my friend Kara would have bought me a shop if I'd shut up about it. I wasn't quite sure what kind of shop I wanted though. It changed all the time. I'll sell men's clothes only. I'll sell bean burritos. It'll be a women's high-end boutique, a children's clothing shop. You get the idea.
When I finally did set my sights on the perfect location on the Cultural Trail, vintage was all I could think of. For one thing, my mom had been taking me with her to flea markets, garage sales, antique malls galore since before I can remember. Buying vintage feels like second nature to me. Secondly, if I was going to do this, I would need some help. Enter mom. My mom would have loads of vintage fixtures and great ideas that would help make White Dog special. And she did.
So, I finally found the perfect space (affordable made it perfect), I chose a merchandise mix (newfangled and timeworn) and opened the doors on November 28th, 2011. Black Friday. It was really really fun to see that other people liked the same quirky items that I did. That's still fun - hearing laughter, seeing smiles and listening to memory lane stories from our customers - that doesn't get old. Ever.
White Dog has now been open for over a year and a half! It's nice to have the doors open for long enough to know it's not a complete failure. That, of course, as a small business owner has been a true fear.
Now it's time for to expand upon the adventure - and sell online. Keep your eyes peeled for the online shop! Coming soon...
I didn't stop talking about and I didn't stop thinking about it for 10 years! I'm pretty sure my friend Kara would have bought me a shop if I'd shut up about it. I wasn't quite sure what kind of shop I wanted though. It changed all the time. I'll sell men's clothes only. I'll sell bean burritos. It'll be a women's high-end boutique, a children's clothing shop. You get the idea.
When I finally did set my sights on the perfect location on the Cultural Trail, vintage was all I could think of. For one thing, my mom had been taking me with her to flea markets, garage sales, antique malls galore since before I can remember. Buying vintage feels like second nature to me. Secondly, if I was going to do this, I would need some help. Enter mom. My mom would have loads of vintage fixtures and great ideas that would help make White Dog special. And she did.
Now it's time for to expand upon the adventure - and sell online. Keep your eyes peeled for the online shop! Coming soon...
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