Pursue {part 2}

I am so excited to introduce you to my friend Sarah. 

We met at a home Christmas boutique five years ago. I had just finished walking (waddling - I was pregnant) around looking at all the cute stuff. It all was cute, but I had no problem walking by without making a purchase. 

Until I was walking out the door. 

 She was set up right by the front door. I looked to the left - inside her "booth" - and couldn't help myself. I just had to peek...especially at the prices. I picked out an adorable Bohemian style dress figuring it would be WAAAAAAY out of my price range. I was wrong. I bought it. I saw another adorable dress that I had to have. Checked the price tag and bought it. You get the idea. 

Rad stuff and affordable. Win- win. 

Please read how Sarah "went for it." She went from home parties to an amazing store of her very own. If you live in or around Orange County, you've got to check it out. While you're there, get a coffee. Portola Coffee Lab, who I featured last week, is located in the SAME SPOT. 

Please meet Sarah: 

Tell us a little about yourself. What dream did you pursue? 

Name: Sarah K. Dowdell

Dream: Owning my own clothing boutique

- How your dream started.

My dream was born from 18 years of working in fashion and retail at South Coast Plaza.

In 2007 a friend was doing home parties and church/school boutiques with her kids line and she approached me about doing women's clothing. I took my small savings bought 2 rolling racks and some clothes and did my first home party. It quickly became apparent that people loved my style, selection and prices. That was the start of my first company Bird Street. The name later changed to Deer Lovely. 

- Encouragement when hit with setbacks.

In the fall of 2010, Mike and I decided to liquidate our stock and get out of the traveling boutique business. A new pregnancy, dwindling sales and an over-saturation of home parties and church/school boutiques made it very difficult to justify all the manual labor that went into setting up each week. I was really sad, but agreed at the time that it was the best thing for us as a family. I did my last event at the start of November 2010. Two weeks later, I read an article about The OC Mart Mix and convinced Mike to go with me to "just take a look". A few weeks later we signed a 6 month lease for a 175 square foot space at The OC Mart Mix and few weeks after that I lost my job. Setbacks are just part of life, you have to let doors close so that new ones can open. We opened the Deer Lovely store on January 26th, 2011. 

- What you've learned. 

You will always have competition and if you are doing something successful someone is going to copy you. Believe in what you are doing, stay motivated, be inspired and GROW your vision. My favorite quote and my next tattoo is "dreaming instead of doing is foolishness". 

- Where you are now. 

Deer Lovely is now over 650 square feet. We have expanded our women's collection, brought in local artists and  introduced our men's concept Whiskey Tango 1977. Next on the horizon is the launch of our online storewww.deerlovely.com. 

About Deer Lovely: Deer Lovely was born from a desire to provide feminine, colorful, bohemian styles at exceptional prices. A love for combining the old with the new, mixing patterns and layering has led to Deer Lovely's signature style. 

The Deer Lovely Boutique is an independent retailer that offers a uniquely curated selection of clothing and accessories. Inspired by our favorite items, Deer Lovely believes in the beauty and excitment of finding those special pieces that you have in your closet for years. 

Location: 3313 Hyland Ave

Costa Mesa, Ca. 92626

949-705-7878

Thanks for sharing with us, Sarah! 

Now, if you're local, get up and go. She is offering 20% this weekend to my friends and followers if you mention this blog post. I promise...You won't be disappointed! And if you aren't local, click here!

P.S. She is the mom to an adorable 15-month old named Lenox. Can you get a cuter name...and face?!?! I didn't think so, either!