Today we’d like to introduce you to Grace Marks.
Grace, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Rubys Attic started as an online-only boutique in the basement of our home as a way for me to be able to be home with our foster children, but still contribute to our family. I had worked under an MLM company for almost 2 years and loved meeting people and seeing women feel beautiful in clothing, but did feel like I had grown away from the company and needed to find a new outlet. I searched for a new company to join under, and after weeks of not really feeling like anything was aligning, I just decided to start my own online boutique, with hand-picked items. When naming the boutique, I knew my Great Grandma Ruby needed to Play a part in the name. She was a huge part of me and my sisters lives until her passing in early 2014. We spent most days after school, and a lot of summers at her house creating, adventuring, and living our best lives. Being a group of sisters, we played dress-up a lot, and all of my mom and aunt’s vintage prom dresses were stored in my grandma‘s attic. I can still feel the stairs creaking under my feet in her little old house as we went upstairs to pick out which one we wanted to wear. She was just the best.
We started Rubys Attic online, and by setting up as many events as we could around southern Illinois. We also made up our own thing called Rubys Roadshow… I selected around 10 people to load my inventory up for. We would then set up in their houses, or churches, or even once at a wine bar, and they would invite their friends, and family, and earn a percentage of their sales back from their party in free clothing. It was such a blessing to get to know so many customers. A lot of them still shop with us today. We quickly realized though, that people wanted to be able to try on clothing instead of being only online. I was hosting open shopping at my house once a week and I got to the point where we couldn’t fit everyone in my basement. I knew I then needed a storefront. Me and my husband, along with the help of our parents, totally redid the building we are in right now from top to bottom back in 2018 and into 2019. We officially opened in February 2019 to the public. It’s been a wild ride ever since.
We still do online sales, set up at as many events as we can, and run the storefront three days a week. I never saw myself doing this. It just kind of happened- and there are still days where I asked myself if this is real life… But it is. And it’s fun!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
It has went way more smooth than it probably should have. I was 23 when Ruby’s Attic launched. No experience in running an online business, and our lives had just completely changed when we became foster parents to three kiddos between 2016 to 2017, but I was determined to be at home with my kids as much as possible. The thing I have always struggled most with is the balancing act of motherhood and entrepreneurship. They have how-to videos for setting up a Shopify website. No one can teach how to balance life well other than trial-and-error and yourself. I still feel like I’m learning most days. We’ve been so blessed to always feel supported by our customers and family in everything we do. I always get nervous before we put on a big event, even 4.5 years later… but our customers ALWAYS show up for us in big ways. It’s been such a blessing.
We’ve been impressed with Ruby’s Attic Boutique, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We are a boutique that carries women’s clothing, baby and toddler clothing, accessories of all kinds, along with gift items!
We are known for two things- being size-inclusive, and being affordable.
We strive to keep pricing affordable here in Southern IL. We know how hard we work here for our money, so we try to keep that in mind. We want our customers to be able to find something special without breaking the bank!
We are also known for being size-inclusive. We carry over 1200 items online that aren’t available in-store- and over 75% of them come in sizes small-3X! The average woman is size 14 now, not a 2, and we know that women need cute and comfy options whether they’re a size 4 or a 24!
Overall, though- we really do want to get to know our customers. Our storefront has such a cozy feel. We’re always ready to greet you with a hello” or a smile. But we want it to go so much deeper than that! We want to do life with our customers, we want Ruby’s Attic to feel like home. That’s what Grandma Ruby felt like…home.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Keep going. On the hard days. On the tired days. On the burnt-out days. It’s not always easy. Owning a small business and being an entrepreneur is such a roller coaster ride. There will be so many nights where you’re up at 2 am working while everyone else is sleeping- but it will pay off in the long run. Also- give yourself so much grace. You’re going to mess up. You’re going to be learning a lot of new things at once. You’re going to feel like you’re failing. But you’re not. You probably just need a pep talk or a nap 😉
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: rubysatticonline.com
- Instagram: rubysatticboutique
- Facebook: Ruby’s Attic Boutique
