Those of you who were saddened when Chris Williard closed her shop La Belle Maison in New Albany, can rejoice. Her online venture, SusabelleBoutique.com is somewhat of a spin-off of La Belle Maison, offering home decor, jewelry, stationery, baby gifts, personal care, and personalized products with a new twist – they are all made in the USA. Do you seek out products that are made in the USA?
Recently, we had a discussion about that and the general consensus seemed to be that while many of you appreciate items made in the USA, you don’t purposefully seek them out. Williard hopes to ease the search with SusabelleBoutique.com.
“I have often heard people say ‘I would buy more products made in the USA, but I just can’t find it‘,” said Williard. “With ten years of retail buying experience, I always knew it was out there, just not in one convenient location. My hope for Susabelleboutique.com is that it becomes a go-to site for customers buying gifts or home decor items.”
Williard launched SusabelleBoutique.com in November of 2011. She sources products from major wholesale markets across the country where she has built relationships for over a decade. She does offer products from smaller companies whose products meet the standards of quality and value set for her e-boutique. So far the best sellers have been in the jewelry and stationery categories. She is in the process of adding locally made jams and jewelry items to her offerings.
Some entrepreneurs decide to start with an online store to see if their product is marketable before they open a brick-and-mortar shop, or they use online sales to supplement their shop’s sales. While Williard “would love to have her made in the USA boutique in about 5 major metropolitan areas throughout the U.S.,” realistically she is going to work to make the website as successful as it can be. But she is open to what the future may bring.
She does miss the face-to-face interaction with customers. “I loved the one on one customer experience, so I have had to get use to doing business electronically.”
Susabelleboutique.com is based in the Blacklick community and if you are local, you can pick up your order in person to save on shipping costs.
Williard sees Susabelleboutique.com as her contribution to helping bring America back. “Hopefully, we will be able to help the companies that we buy from hire more employees,” she said. “Even if we create one job at each company we deal with -I would be thrilled to be contributing to our country if even in this small way.”
Susabelleboutique.com donates 5% of their sales to The Mid-Ohio Foodbank. “It makes sense that we tie our charitable giving to families in need,” said Williard. “Since our site is our contribution to helping bring America back, [The Mid-Ohio Foodbank] is the best fit for us. In addition to donating 5% of sales, Susabelleboutique.com will also donate $1 for every Facebook ‘Like’, up to $1,000.
Visit Susabelleboutique.com to find gifts made in the USA. Like Susabelleboutique.com on Facebook. Follow ShopSusaBelle on Twitter.