JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – After moving to a new location less than a year ago, Pretty Pieces boutique, a Black-owned business, has not only stayed afloat during the pandemic but flourished.
While many businesses have been negatively impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, Pretty Pieces, which the owner calls Jacksonville’s best-kept secret, has found a way to prosper in the most uncertain of times.
“If you stay ready, you never have to get ready,” owner Nicole Banks said, sharing the philosophy that’s pushed her business to new heights. “We experienced an explosive growth. We met our customers where they were. We met the need with some casual nice pieces that they can wear at home and so we started that and it’s like a snowball and we just gave them what they wanted and we were where they were, Instagram, Facebook. Wherever they were, we brought it to them there. So throughout the pandemic, we’ve been able to see an uptick.”
Initially starting as an online business six years ago, and now four brick-and-mortar locations later, the boutique is looking to continue its expansion into a fulfillment warehouse.
“I offer everything from play clothes to work clothes,” Banks said. “We give you statement pieces on a Monday and chill pieces on a Saturday. We provide that bold bright fashion that can help you turn every day into a fashionably slayed runway.”
Arnitra Lewis-Grant, a long time shopper at the boutique, said the fashion is what brought her in, but the community of women behind the brand is an added bonus.
“The pieces are versatile, you can dress them up dress them down,” she said. “(And) we do have a community on Facebook, called the Pretty Posse. And what you will find there, it’s not just us posting pictures in our Pretty Pieces but you also get inspiration, motivation. I’m wholeheartedly motivated by the group of ladies that come together to provide support for one another. So you’re just not getting fashion, you will get the fashion. But you will also get sisterhood.”
A sisterhood that’s woven deep beyond the fabric. It’s this bond between shoppers and boutique that continues to allow Pretty Pieces to prosper despite uncertainty.
Because of the pandemic, the store is closed to in-person shopping but offers curbside assistance and online shopping options.
Find more at the Pretty Pieces website: https://shopprettypieces.com/.