A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news
A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news
RyAnna and Kris Anvid have employed the internet to keep interest and sales going at their Cloquet clothing store during the pandemic.
When Gov. Tim Walz mandated that non-essential Minnesota businesses close to the public, Mainstream Boutique's Kris and RyAnna Anvid decided to take the store to their customers.
They didn't violate any social distancing measures. Rather, the mother-daughter team began doing weekly Facebook Live videos.
"We idled for a week or two, then I told my daughter we had to do something. We didn't want to give up or let this virus be the end of Mainstream Boutique," said Kris, who owns both the women's clothing store franchise and Community Printing next door on Cloquet Avenue. "So we decided to jump on the live video thing that some sister stores had been doing, got a makeshift phone stand and just kind of jumped in there."
It worked on two fronts. They kept in touch with customers and even attracted some new shoppers from out of state, as far away as Texas. The new customers found out about the Cloquet store through other Mainstream Boutique stores, boosted posts and friends who "liked" the store on Facebook.
"That's one of the best things you can do for a small business," she said. "To like, share or comment on something they're doing ... it makes them more visible to other people who might not necessarily stumble across their page any other way."
Cloquet's Mainstream Boutique has a remarkably loyal customer base, she said.
"I am humbled by how much customers care about our small business," she said. "They love the clothes, but what is even more important to people right now is holding onto those personal connections we all have with one another. Customers tell me every time we do a live video how much they look forward to seeing me every week and laughing along with us."
Mainstream's Hannah Wells calls it "retail therapy."
Daughter RyAnna plays the role of emcee in many of the videos - talking viewers through different clothing pieces - with Kris modeling the occasional top or bottom to show people how they fit, or answering questions that customers message on Facebook as the video is streaming.
"It's something fun for the ladies to do because we're all just trapped," said the 21-year-old who will soon take over managing the store. "Plus they get a nice feeling too, because they're helping out a local business."
RyAnna showed off a blue and white striped skort during a video last week.
"This is really cute if you want to rock it on the golf course," she said, before moving on to the next outfit. Some of the clothes have fun details, like the bow in the back of a floral tank with ruffled straps or a tangerine striped top with five navy X's stitched down the back. White, navy and orange are the dominant colors in the most recent shipment, with lots of stripes.
Kris said they order the clothes well ahead of time, so the spring shipments were coming whether the store was open or not.
As RyAnna and Kris talk back and forth, customers message to ask about prices or sizes. A few order items, which the Anvids will ship or deliver curbside to local customers.
They are trying to figure out what their next steps will be as the governor continues to make exceptions to the stay-at-home order.
Kris is supportive of the actions taken in Minnesota. Despite the fact that the store has lost about $30,000 since the forced closure, she said they will be very cautious when reopening.
"We're looking at the steps we need to take to be back open, whether that's limited hours or by appointment only," she said. "My main concern is the health of myself, my family and employees and the health of our customers. We want to keep our sanitation steps in order and social distancing."
RyAnna said she's hoping they can open some way on Monday - when the governor's order is supposed to end.
"Just to be able to get a little more contact, see their faces walk through the door," she said.
In the meantime, they plan to continue offering curbside pickup and shipping, and some appointments for fitting.
No matter what happens, the Anvids plan to continue with their videos, which they're now ramping up to twice a week. Find them on Facebook by searching for Mainstream Boutique of Cloquet.
