Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa Teague.
Melissa, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Hi, I am Melissa and since I was a little girl I have dreamed of owning my own business. My first career after college was an event coordinating job for a popular venue in Dallas. My favorite part of the job was working with each client to bring their vision to life. When I got married, I realized I wanted a job that didn’t require weekends. Then when I had kids, I decided to stay home but always missed helping people plan and execute their events. In 2016, some family who lived in a small town north of Dallas wanted to transform their barn into a small venue. Immediately I saw this as a great opportunity and offered up some ways we could partner. Both of us saw the vision we were off and running! I jumped right in and took over the marketing and Event Coordinating. I started studying trends and the wedding industry and noticed there were two major needs. One, was an affordable place for DIY couples to get married. The second was having affordable rentals. Brides were buying all this decor and trying to resale on Facebook. I thought to myself, couples shouldn’t have to spend time after their wedding trying to sell stuff for pennies on the dollar. I can provide affordable rentals and make it convenient for people to use for their events. That is how Simply Chic Rentals was formed!
Great, 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?
Building this business has been way harder than I ever imagined. Finding an affordable place to store everything has been a challenge. So, like many companies I started off with my own garage transforming it into a, “Showroom”. But that wasn’t going to be a good long term solution. That is how Simply Blue Bungalow came into the picture.
We created a website and started marketing to the DIY couples. This was the fun part but I was so busy with phone calls, emails, and showings that I would scramble each week to put the rental orders together. It takes a lot of hours each week to pack, clean linens, shine centerpieces, fix and replace rentals that were returned broken. Things come back with gum on them, burned from sparkler ashes, and the stains are crazy.
Weddings and events are so crazy especially when couples are trying to do it all themselves. This means for me that I spend half of my time tracking down rentals that were placed in someone else’s car or taken by another vendor.
Oh, and let’s talk about deliveries. We feel like we opened a moving and delivery company!! Loading and unloading 100 chairs and vintage furniture is a lot of work!! We aren’t in our prime any longer so we are always exhausted.
Wedding days are stressful and with that brings a level of importance in making sure all inventory is clean and working properly. I fear the calls each week that might sound like “our backdrop is broken or our tub is leaking” During busy season I am a stress ball!!
All of this is so worth it. I love seeing the work ethic my son is learning. We cherish all the families we have connected and repeat business that we are starting to see. We also could not survive without our amazing vendor partners.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Simply Chic Event Rentals – what should we know?
My business is Simply Chic Rentals. We are a small mom and pop event rental company out of Celina, TX. We provided basic event rentals like chairs and tables to fun unique vintage furniture, shiplap bars, and custom signs. Our focus is on budget brides. Everyone deserves a dream wedding. I love finding the latest Pinterest trend and providing it as an affordable rental option.
My husband helps when he is not traveling for his “real” job doing deliveries and maintenance. Not sure how I would do it without him!!
We purchased an old house in Downtown Celina. It houses all of our inventory and is where we have our customers come and view what they would like to rent. The house is also available on the weekends as an AirBnB to rent. fb.me/simplybluebungalow
My favorite thing is hearing “you saved me so much time and money”. I truly love helping each client bring their Pinterest dreams to life!
This year we are so excited because we have found an amazing way to give back. In October we are launching the “Free Wedding Celina Campaign” I have partnered with 10 local vendors to provide a small wedding of 50 people to a deserving couple. We will ask for video submissions on why they deserve the wedding and social media will help us narrow down the winners. www.freeweddingcelina.com This is what I believe my company is all about. “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another.as good stewards of God’s varied grace:” 1Peter 4:10 ESV
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Being affordable. I learned early on that people would rather buy than rent because most rental companies were the same price as the item they could buy at local retailers. I priced my items so that it is much easier for the customer to rent vs buy. I also make the experience easy. No minimums, 4 to 5 day rental periods, and only a 20% deposit.
Customer service is everything to us. We fight so hard to make every customer a “Raving Fan”. It has been so fun to become a local neighborhood business that people refer to their friends. Most of our business is from referrals these days. We found that if someone rents from us for their wedding they come to us for their baby shower, thanksgiving gathering, sons 1st birthday etc… This makes us so happy to be a trusted business our neighbors and now friends love to use.
Pricing:
- White Garden Chairs $1.75
- Wine Barrel $35
- Wedding Arch $35
- Stained Wooden Sign $35
- Lantern Pack $10
- Vintage Couch $30
Contact Info:
- Address: 510 W. Elm Street
- Website: www.simplychicrentalshop.com
- Phone: 469-407-8418
- Email: melissa@simplychicrentalshop.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simplychicrentals/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simplychicrentals/
- Other: https://www.theknot.com/marketplace/simply-chic-event-rentals-celina-tx-1029164
Image Credit:
Jacy Watson Photography
Catie Ann Photography
Bloom and Co Styling
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.
