Today we’d like to introduce you to Natalie Bier and Hattie Sharp.
Natalie and Hattie, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
We have worked together for 15+ years in the Mortgage Industry. When we first started working together in our 20s, we used to discuss ideas for a store. Natalie’s inspiration for wanting a retail store came from her Grandfather, Mom, Step-Mom and Aunt all having their own retail stores. Hattie’s inspiration came from working at a stationary/gift shop for years. We talked about various ideas throughout the years, but really wanted something that was an original concept.
In July 2015, a favorite local store announced that they were closing their doors. Small Pockets was previously owned by a mother and daughter. But, the daughter was 8 months pregnant so they felt it was time to close their store. We contacted them as soon as they made their closing announcement with our proposal of continuing on this amazing store that they created that so many customers in the area loved.
The store closed at its original location of Northwest Hwy and Preston in May 2015 and we spent 5 months scouting new locations and landed on Inwood across from Jesuit High School. The location had so much character being that it used to be part of Crystal’s Pizza. Plus, we got to expand to a bigger space than the original location AND add in our new birthday party venue, The Small Pockets Tea Room.
The new location has been great and the local neighborhood folks have been very supportive and moms are driving from all over the metroplex and beyond to come shop.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The most difficult part of this process was finding a new location. It was key to the success of the store and we wanted it to be where people from all over DFW could find us. Additionally, the construction process was complicated as there was not even running water to our location when we started. The other struggle was finding the right team members, but we have been blessed with some amazing people who work for us. Additionally, Natalie has 3 young children and is involved in their school. Hattie has two nieces and is very involved at church. So, the work life balance is always a struggle when trying to do life and run your own business! We are so thankful to family and friends who have helped us along the way.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
We are an upscale children’s and maternity consignment store with a party venue. We think what sets us apart is that we carry only the higher end boutique brands. You can find some great brands at more than half the cost, many items with tags still on the outfits. We think we hit a hot spot with moms because there are so many things that “their baby only wore once” …we hear this almost daily at the store when our consignors drop their items off.
Additionally, we noticed there was a gap in our community on birthday party venues. We created the Small Pockets Tea Room to target the little girl who has always wanted a tea party. We have real tea sets and the parties we have had so far have been precious!
What lessons have you learned along the way?
We have had a lot of lessons learned since we re-opened July 2016. We have learned that there are certain brands in the area that sell and certain ones that do not. It took a lot of trial and error to get that figured out. Dallas is interesting because there is a mix of people who like more traditional clothing like Smocked clothes and there are people who like more trendy clothing for their children. We love that we carry both styles!
We have also learned that people want a place to get baby gifts in person. In this online environment that we are in, many people still want to come and pick out items themselves. We are now carrying some new merchandise, but definitely wish we would have started that earlier!
Pricing:
- The Tea Room is available to rent for $150
- We offer monogramming for $10 for most items
Contact Info:
- Address: 123oo Inwood Rd. #160
Dallas, TX 75244 - Website: www.smallpockets.biz
- Phone: 214-484-9240
- Email: smallpockets.resale@gmail.com
- Instagram: @smallpocketstx
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smallpocketstx/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/small-pockets-dallas-2
Image Credit:
Todd Billiar
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
