Today we’d like to introduce you to Jackie Sorrenti.
Jackie, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I worked as an IT professional for almost 20 years as a Supply Chain specialist. The company I worked with the longest, was sold and business declined…. layoffs were happening at the end of every quarter….and I figured it was just a matter of time for my position to be eliminated….
I decided it was time to start a new career and began writing business plans – a flower shop, a gift store – and of course, a lady’s golf boutique. I found myself spending more and more time on the golf boutique business plan….and it took almost two years to develop a credible plan, source supplier partners, secure financing and find a location – and in June of 2004 Gals on and off the Green opened its doors in Pittsburgh PA. (I never did get laid off, by the way!! Life’s ironies!!)
It did not take long for us to discover that we were not actually selling women’s golf apparel – we were simply helping women become more confident with what they were wearing! We quickly realized that no matter how successful in her career – or how beautiful her family – or how accomplished in golf or other aspects of her life – women do not like what they see when they look in the mirror! They immediately go to their flaws instead of their goodness! So we began to take a very high touch, highly personal approach in working with our customers! And – with that IT background, I was also able to collect data about what we were selling, style (do we sell more shorts or skorts? sleeveless or short sleeve?) and begin to turn that data into real information – and share that with our supplier partners so that they can provide better products for us and our REAL customers!
In 2013, we expanded with locations opening in Chevy Chase MD (near Washington DC) and in Plano.
We carry over 40 different brands and offer sizes from zero to 22 in our stores.
Every decision we make – every thought every day – is how can we improve our service, our product offering and our customer experience?
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Bringing women to the front and center in a male dominant industry…. requesting fit and style changes, with data to back it up…we were (and still are) bucking the trends!
And retail is not for pansies! 🙂
If we make a bad buy (merchandise is not well received by the customer), you own it – there are no give-backs!
If we do not continuously work with our associates, developing service and product knowledge of the newest brands and trends, we lose our edge.
If the first year in your expansion into Plano is the worst winter-weather in over 20 years in TX history…followed by the worst flooding ever in the history of TX the following year…. you will have your challenges.
In a retail environment where many thinks purchasing their fashions on line is ideal…. (and that seems convenient until it doesn’t fit, or it is worn once and has a defect – and there is no customer service associate to contact) – we are continuing to buck the trend!
We hand select every item that comes into our shop – we partner with other woman-owned startup companies that are making their apparel in the US – every decision we make is conscientious – for the good of our customers, our associates, our supplier partners – and ultimately the golf industry!
Please tell us about Gals on and off the Green.
Gals on and off the Green helps women look and feel better about themselves, by offering fit, fashion and function for women of all shapes and sizes (sizes zero to 22.)
We are a specialty shop offering a wide selection of golf and casual wear, along with shoes, jewelry, gifts and accessories.
We are a high touch, high service boutique. We are not about the big sale – we are about helping our customer find a great go-to outfit…. the one she chooses every time she needs to look her best and feel confident about herself. The third or fourth time she chooses that outfit, she will know where it came from – she will remember her positive experience – and she will come back for another great outfit!
I am very proud that we create a positive environment for our associates and customers…and we are a positive influence to our supplier partners.
And I am most proud that we have always given back to our community (raising over $70,000 for The First Tee) – and recently we created out own charity foundation – the GALS Scholarship Foundation (where GALS stands for Growing * Achieving * Learning * Succeeding) – we award educational scholarships to women of ALL ages who are active in the sport of golf. (www.galsfoundation.org)
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Expand sooner!
Contact Info:
- Address: 1900 Preston Road
Plano, TX 75093 - Website: www.galsonandoffthegreen.com
- Phone: 972-596-9646
- Email: jackie@galsonandoffthegreen.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/galsonandoffthegreen
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/galsonandoffthegreen
- Twitter: @galsrule
- Other: www.galsfoundation.org
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.
