Coffman opens own boutique with help of Shop Stevie
Elle Coffman, a junior at Coshocton High School, is now a rep for Shop Stevie and has her own boutique set up in her home where she can help clients find the right piece of clothing for their special occasion or everyday life. Josie Sellers | Beacon
COSHOCTON – Elle Coffman has always liked fashion and now she is sharing her passion for style with others.
The Coshocton High School junior is now a sales rep for Shop Stevie, an online women’s clothing company.
With the help of her family she set up her own boutique in her family’s home where she hosts seasonal pop up events, can hold parties for others and schedule appointments with interested clients.
“I purchase the clothing and try to pick and choose what I think will work best for people in the area,” Coffman said. “I get orders in about a week and they come in two packs so I at least have two of everything in small, medium and large.”
She steams the clothing items after she receives them, places them on wooden hangers and then displays her collection in her boutique area at home. Coffman also has to keep her Shop Stevie website up-to-date with photos of her merchandise and descriptions of her items.
“They are unique pieces and we have an assortment of everything from dresses to cute t-shirts that look good with leggings,” she said. “It’s really versatile clothing. You can dress it up or down.”
Coffman said the clothing also is moderately priced. Most of the dresses on her website are priced right around $40 and the shirts and bottoms range around $30 and $45.
“It’s quality clothing especially for the price and it all has a unique touch,” Coffman said.
This experience is helping her prepare for her future goals of going to school at either the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC or Kent State University and opening up a boutique wherever she ends up living.
“I’ve learned a lot about time management, having conversations with people, customer service, dealing with defaults in products and managing money to figure out what I need to save and can spend,” Coffman said.
She also is working her way into the fashion industry with her own blog.
“I give different lifestyle and trend tips,” Coffman said. “I also went to New York Fashion Week and documented that on my blog.”
In addition to blogging, Coffman also has been part of Nordstrom’s teen board called the Nordstrom Fashion Ambassadors and attended Banson fashion camp in New York City, which is organized by Holland Grumieaux, who once worked for Tommy Hilfiger.
Coffman said a lot of people in the area still aren’t aware of Shop Stevie, but she helped introduce it to the community at the Ladies Night held in October at Coshocton Village Inn and Suites.
“For me as a mom that was great seeing all the support she got there,” said Jennifer Coffman, Elle’s mother. “She got a lot of positive feedback. It’s a very sweet and tasteful clothing line.”
Jennifer is proud of how Elle has handled the finical side of her business and covering the costs of launching it in September.
“She’s debt free and has been for a couple of months,” Jennifer said. “She’s paid us completely back (for what we helped with).”
Elle is glad her business is taking off, but for her it’s not just about making money.
“I like helping people feel comfortable in their own skin and having a positive image of themselves,” she said. “It’s all about how you feel on the inside and the way you dress can influence that.”
For more on Elle and Shop Stevie, visit her website at elle.stevierep.com or you can attend a pop up shop from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 11 at the old Muskingum Valley Lumberyard building on East Main Street. Elle will have Shop Stevie clothing there for anyone to buy and Jennifer’s Rust Decor and Jennifer Darr’s Memory Lane also will have items available.
Category: People & Places
