Lady's New E-tail Store Reaches Locally and Beyond
Three-year-old boutique Lady, located in Los Angeles’ Eagle Rock neighborhood, offers contemporary and on-trend styles at refreshingly affordable price points. Lady’s owner and proprietress, Camille De Soto, recently launched an online store (www.ladyeaglerock.com) that mirrors Lady’s simple, chic aesthetic.
While most indie boutiques would say that an e-tail site exposes a store globally, De Soto was surprised to find that many local shoppers got turned on to Lady through the Web.
“It’s imperative to have an e-tail shop these days,” De Soto said. “Customers demand it—and not just out-of-state or out-of-town customers. I was shocked to discover that it helped to increase sales at the physical store. Customers pre-shop on the Web site and then come in.”
The looks on the site run from chic basics to must-have handbags. Brands sold on the site include Fluxus, Mink Pink and Collective Concepts. According to De Soto, bestsellers currently on the site include the spring-ready cutout “Futura” wedges, which retail for $42, and the edgy “3 Spikes on a Chain” necklace, which retails for $58. Most items run for under $150.
De Soto bypasses the ritual of impersonal, faceless shopping on the Web and captures the sense of buying from a neighborhood boutique with personable salespeople. De Soto isn’t also relying on all the bells and whistles of a flashy Web site and hopes the products speak for themselves.
“The e-tail shop complements the physical store because it captures the essence of the Lady shopping experience—simple, clean, great price points. I try to imbue a bit of my personality in the item descriptions to try and create a personal feel.”
While it’s been a bit of a learning curve running an online store, De Soto recognizes the significance of bricks-and-mortar boutiques such as hers having a Web presence.
“The site has been a great resource for local customers,” De Soto said. “It’s so important to be online—and not just because of the economy but in order to have a name for yourself.”—Connie Cho
