About Modern Me Boutique
Our Story
Oh, How I love to tell the story of how Modern ME Boutique came to life. Mostly because it’s so near and dear to my heart and I truly love what I do. They say if you find something you love you will never work a day in your life, and while owning a boutique is one of the toughest, most time consuming jobs I can honestly say that saying holds true for me! Every day is a new adventure, a new face, a new order, a new friendship and I wouldn’t want it any other way!
I can’t wait to tell our story but first let me tell you a little bit about us. My name is Erika and I’m the founder of Modern Me. It all started in High School, I always had a “different” sense of fashion. I loved to be original and vintage pieces were my fav! My love for fashion continued to grow throughout High School, it was in my senior year that I decided I wanted to go to Fashion Design School. I applied at a prestigious school where I underwent many interviews and submitted portfolios of my work. I even designed my Prom dress and made my shoes in hopes of earning that coveted spot in Design School. The weeks went by and I finally got the call! I was accepted! They loved my dress and my portfolio, to say I was excited is an understatement! I was set to start just a few weeks after graduating High School and I couldn’t have been happier. Over the next few months something happened, something I never expected. After all my hard work I was second guessing my choice to go to Fashion Design School. Was it worth it? Could I do it? Is it really about what you know or who you know? Would I/did I want to leave my family to make it in the fashion industry? I lived in a very small town in Central Florida, we enjoyed being outdoors and had plenty of land to play on. Did I really want to leave that for the concrete jungle? Eventually all these questions turned to uncertainties and I decided against going to Design School. I didn’t want to leave my family for the concrete jungle and to be completely honest I was scared I wouldn’t make it. I told myself I could design and love fashion without a having a degree in it. I could be successful in the fashion world, when the time was right. So I worked in accounting at my family business learning all I could about finances, running a business and bookkeeping until the time was right. I’m a numbers girl so I actually enjoyed accounting and learned so much about being a business owner and what it takes to be successful. Fast forward several years later I was a new mommy and I desperately needed a creative outlet. I had dabbled in fashion businesses here and there but nothing really serious. One day back in 2010 I decided to take a leap of faith and open an “online boutique” I quickly realized this was no small feat! I knew nothing about building a website, I was not a social media person not to mention social media wasn’t what it is today! Needless to say I had crickets and I quickly became discouraged and gave up! A few years went by, I was working a “normal” job but my heart wasn’t in it, in my free time I researched, researched, researched! I wanted to own a boutique and I knew I could do it. It was time to hustle, make my dreams a reality. Here comes the “us” part! My mom, Marie has always been my biggest fan. She knew how badly I wanted this, we talked about it often and eventually I convinced her to be my partner! After all she’s my best friend and I was about to face a big, scary world that I knew nothing about and I needed her support. Like a champ she dove right in and has been the most amazing partner I could ever ask for! With the support of my family and determined to be successful we opened a Brick and Mortar Store in 2013. We’ve put in long hours, sweat, tears and probably a little blood! But we did it, we made it! We have made a huge impact on our small community and continue to grow. In late 2017 we moved into a new larger building which has given us the opportunity to expand our selection of items we carry. We now carry everything from clothing to gift items to home décor and more. We are a unique boutique and I couldn’t be more proud. Never in a million years would I have dreamed that we could become what we have. Our customers are much more than customers, they are our friends, our family, our community and we are so thankful for each and every one of them without them we wouldn’t be where we are today. We are so excited to announce that we are launching our very own website. We will bring the same attention to detail and premier customer service to our online customers. We are so excited to start this journey with you. We hope that you enjoy this little piece of our heart. We have a saying in the boutique and it’s so true. “Come as strangers, leave as friends” Mom & I can’t wait to see what the future holds for Modern Me but we have a feeling it’s only up from here!! Thank you so much for shopping with us we appreciated your support.
Our Promise To You: We promise to always bring you affordable fashions. We hand pick each and every item with love. We want every woman to feel beautiful, empowered and unstoppable after all we are all amazing! Modern Me is a home, we welcome everyone with open arms. We believe in a positive environment, no negativity here!! We promise to always have a wide variety of clothing for women of all ages and shapes. We will never take you for granted and will always make you feel special.
Fun Fact: Our name is very special to us we wanted a “Modern” place where women of all ages and shapes could come, shop and leave with something beautiful. Moms name is “Marie” my name is “Erika” = ME. There you have it Modern ME Boutique!!