Surrounded by stacks of colorful spring dresses and dangling metal jewelry, Randy and Terri Deasee manage every aspect of their growing business, Deasee’s Boutique, out of the back office of their store.
The shop offers a variety of clothing, intimates, accessories, and home decor, but its roots are in jewelry. After successfully starting a small business making necklaces with her daughter, Terri decided to open up the first storefront in addition to the full-time job she already had. Enlisting her friend Meghan Rimrodt for help, together they merged their two hobbies—jewelry and repurposing doors into jewelry holders—and turned it into a business. Over the years, the business has sprouted from its humble DIY beginnings into the polished, chic boutiques that stand today.
Once the original boutique in Orcutt outgrew its location, the Deasee’s needed a larger building. They’re currently renovating the new location—across the street from the Orcutt shop—and plan to move in once the work is complete. The couple also opened another store in Lompoc last year.
Terri was inspired to open the second boutique after hearing Lompoc women complain about the lack of clothing store options in the town while shopping at the Orcutt location, she said.
“We’re just trying to be a service to the community and do things right; give people great product at reasonable prices,” Terri said. “Every lady that walks in here, we want to make sure they feel good when they leave, and feel pretty, and just have great stuff to wear.”
The group behind Deasee’s Boutique, mainly friends and family, is what separates them from the big-box stores, Terri said. Her original business partner and close friend, Rimrodt, now manages both locations. Deasee’s daughter, sister, niece, and cousins also work at the boutiques, in addition to Rimrodt’s daughter.
The familial link that the employees share translates over to the customers as well. Employees at the boutique form bonds and build relationships with their clientele, Terri said.
“If somebody comes in a couple of times, we get to know them and their style,” she said. “Pretty soon, someone will walk in and we’ll say, ‘Wait here, we’ve got something I know you’ll like.’”
They opened the second store in October 2016, but with another location came more responsibility, Terri said. Managing two stores has to be a team effort, and her husband, Randy, is very familiar with what challenges face the business.
“Keeping everything organized,” he said. “With two stores now, it takes a lot of work to keep everything organized and to keep quality control a priority.”
Terri hand-selects every item that is sold in her stores, so her biggest challenge is finding a balance. Two stores didn’t just double the responsibility, but the number of employees to take care of, she said.
But thanks to the success of the boutiques, she was able to leave her previous job to focus on the businesses full time.
“Now I’ve got another city full of ladies I have to keep well dressed,” Deasee said. “But I have people that care about me, I’ve got great support.”
Intern Emily Holland wrote this week’s Biz Spotlight. Information should be sent to the Sun via fax, mail, or email at mail@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Apr 13-20, 2017.