Community Highlights: Meet Uylee Dennis of Uylee’s Boutique

Today we’d like to introduce you to Uylee Dennis. 

Uylee, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My name is Uylanda, and I’m the Owner of 𝐔𝐲𝐥𝐞𝐞’𝐬 𝐁𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞. I’m the mother of three adult sons, sister of seven siblings, grandmother of three beauties, and wife of a wonderful man that I still have a crush on. Uylee is a name given to me by my husband during our dating years. When looking for a name for the shop, he jokingly called it “Uylee’s Boutique”, and it stuck. 

In 2014, there was a change in my clothing size after losing 90 pounds, and I needed to clean out my closet. I knew nothing about selling clothing during this time. However, I used PoshMark.com and cleared everything out. I was shocked at how fast things sold and how simple it was! PoshMark.com taught me everything I needed to know about selling clothes at the time. They taught me about pricing, packing, shipping, everything. To this day, I still have a PoshMark account that I sell from. I enjoyed it so much I decided to take it to the next level. Hence, on January 2015, 𝐔𝐲𝐥𝐞𝐞’𝐬 𝐁𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞 was born! 

I was a full-time Minister, working my corporate job part-time, and just running the Boutique as a side hobby. Then in 2017, my health took a turn again for the worse, and I was forced to medically retire. Because I’ve worked since I was 14, not having a job was mentally difficult for me. So, I turned my attention to my Shop, made it my job, and was finally getting paid for work that I actually enjoyed! 

I’m still able to enjoy my love of the Full-Time Ministry, enjoy my Shop, and care for my changing health. My husband (my Ministry Partner) is an amazing asset! He handles all the shipping for me and makes all the post office runs and PO Box pick-ups on his way to and from his secular job. My 110-pound German Shepherd, Dexter brings all inventory boxes into the house from outside. I’d say I have a pretty good team. I appreciate them. My health does continue to go up and down. However, because my Shop is in my home, I’m able to continue to work and feel like a productive member of Society while doing something I truly enjoy at a pace I can handle. 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
By no means has the road been smooth. Anything worth having will always require diligent work. There was a lot to learn in the beginning in the area of taxes, licenses, permits, and so forth. I had not taken a business course, so many things were learned “on the job” so to speak. But I was able to take advantage of many business training programs, and I attended any small business seminar I could. In time I was able to learn the ropes and feel comfortable in the driver’s seat. 

And also, when the pandemic hit us hard in 2020, my business took a nosedive. All of a sudden, the orders were no longer coming through as before, our income was depleting, and I was sure I was going to have to close the doors to the shop. But thankfully, we were able to ride the wave with much assistance, and our doors remained open. 

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Uylee’s Boutique?
We are a new item clothing boutique, which also carries a very small portion of “gently used” items. Most of our items are brand new with retail tags and others are gently used. Each item displayed will state whether it is a “new item” or a “gently used” item. We contract with a variety of wholesale vendors to try to bring customers the best merchandise at the best prices! We feel beauty comes in all curves, shapes, and sizes. So, we carry our dresses between US sizes 0 – 32. 

Our brand is constantly revolving. We encourage our customers that if there is something they are unable to locate in our Shop, drop us an email. We may actually have it in store, or we may be able to locate it for them. 

Our little Shop began as a hobby to clear things out of my closet, as well as the closets of friends. I never expected it to grow into an online Shop. But eight years later, we’re still having fun cleaning closets so to speak!!! When we initially opened our doors, our specialty items were the vintage and retro-inspired dresses for the ladies and silk hand-tailored coordinating tie sets for the men. Now we have opened our selection and carry a variety of styles. Though we still hold on to our namesake of the vintage and retro-inspired fashion. 

Never in my dreams did I ever imagine we’d have Customers in Japan, New Zealand, Germany, Australia, Sweden, London, Italy, and others! Our motto has been and continues to be, “Without YOU, there is no US!” We are so grateful to our customers and appreciate each and every one of them. 

Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
If you can find a mentor going into this industry, I strongly suggest that you do so. I’ve learned so much about the small business industry over these past eight years through experience and courses. I try to pass my knowledge on to other new business owners. If I can somehow assist them from my experiences, I want to pass on that knowledge so that they don’t need to make the same mistakes I’ve made. Many wonder why would I assist my own competition. I don’t see it as assisting my competitors. With me, it’s cooperation over competition. There are enough people on the planet for all of us to share. We need to support and build up one another. That’s how we will all succeed. I truly believe in that, and I will continue to take in knowledge and I will continue to share that knowledge with those brand new in this business. We all need a helping hand getting started. We all need support in the beginning, and I will continue to provide that to my peers. I would have loved that in my early days! 

I love to collaborate with other small business owners. Currently, I am collaborating with a business called RJB Collections. This business is ran by an entire family, and they create the most amazing handmade jewelry. I have placed their items in our Shop for sale as a collaboration. I enjoy working with other brands and bringing their items into our Shop, and if possible, placing our items in their shops. Cooperation over competition helps us all to gain brand recognition and grow. 

Pricing:

• Dresses Range from $5.99 – $129.99
• Jewelry Ranges from $4.99 – $39.99
• Custom Shirts and Accessories range from $19.99 – $36.99

Contact Info:

• Website: https://uyleesboutique.fashion/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uyleesboutique/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Uylees
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/UyleesBoutique
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@UyleesBoutique

Image Credits
RJB Collections