Today we’d like to introduce you to Alana Harris.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Alana. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I was 21, fresh outta college, newly married and looking to make some extra cash on the side. So, I started going to estate sales and garage sales trying to pick up treasures to flip online. I realized there was a huge market for pre-owned handbags and started to focus on that. Within 1 year, I was running this little resale business out of my garage and spare bedroom. I brought on my sister Arlee, sister-in-law Elisabeth and best friend Rachel on board and all we crammed into my tiny little house and prayed! The business blossomed. In 2013, we opened our 1st brick and mortar store, and ‘The Purse Ladies’ was an official fixture in the community. Like our name implies, we focus on purses, all designer, all authentic. We also sell designer shoes, jewelry, belts, sunglasses, accessories, etc.
What makes us different from every other high end “consignment” store? Well, for starters, we don’t consign. We realized to stand out we had to be different. We decided we would only buy outright, upfront. Come in with the old, walk out with cash! We also allow for trades. Many of our customers will wear a bag for a season or two, and then bring it in to swap for something new and fresh. We pay out 50% in cash of what we plan to resell for, and if you trade, you get an extra 15%. Currently, we get in 200-250 new items a WEEK! So the store is constantly changing with new inventory. About every 2 weeks most of the inventory in the store cycles out. Because of our unique buying/trading model, and the fast turn around, we are able to keep our pricing below the local market. Meaning a great deal and some steals for our customers.
Since opening in 2013, we’ve added an office, and we are now a staff of 12 wonderful local women, and we continue to grow! We are currently in the middle of a big move for some much-needed space. In late August/early September of this year, we will be opening our new 3000 sq. foot store/office. We are so excited. We will be offering the same great service and products, with some fun new twists! We have a full kitchen in the back and will be offering fresh hot pastries and gourmet coffees for our customers, free of charge. There are a few more fun surprises… but we’re not telling yet!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Being young in business was a challenge. I knew we needed to open a store, but I was 23 years old and not sure how to go about it. We couldn’t continue growing in my home. But when you’re young, inexperienced and kinda broke – the banks aren’t exactly jumping up and down to give you a start-up loan. I spent months going to different banks and investment firms, giving my pitch, reformatting my business plan. Door after door was slammed in my face. “Come back when you have a few more years under your belt” was the well-intentioned wall I kept slamming into. That was discouraging. Finally, I found a bank to underwrite us for a small $50,000 start-up loan. I had to sign my life away to get it, but I was desperate. It was just enough to outfit our first quaint little shop. Which we outgrew almost immediately.
The other obvious challenge I would say, I faced was learning how to authenticate. I spent THOUSANDS of dollars in the early days before the store on counterfeit bags. It was so discouraging. I knew I didn’t want to open a store until I was confident in my authenticating skills. But unfortunately, there is no handbook, no class, no tutorial on how to properly authentic designer items in a world of fakes. It took several years of intensive studying, hours and hours of meticulous, hands-on research, and many thousands of dollars spent on mistakes to become the Authenticator I am today. I take a lot of pride in my craft, and to me, it is the foundation of my industry. You are nothing in the luxury resale community without your reputation. We pride ourselves on our sterling reputation in the community that we have worked so hard to earn. We ONLY sell 100000% authentic items. If we have any hint of a doubt, it doesn’t hit the floor. Period.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about The Purse Ladies – what should we know?
Before I opened our first store, I was so young and couldn’t find a clue if it had a neon sign around it. I had no idea how to build my business. So, I decided to go to the mall and take some notes. I went into all these beautiful stores, with shiny fixtures, and well-dressed, stuffy Sales Associates. “I guess this is what success looks like” and down that path I started. Uniforms, professional fixtures, and condescending attitudes, that’s what I saw – and it must work because these guys make the big dough.
But as our grand opening got closer – I had a personal revelation. That wasn’t me. I wasn’t a fancy Boca lady. I couldn’t put on aires even if I wanted to. I love people. I wanted a store that felt like coming to a friend’s house. A living room style seating area with coffee always ready. Warm and caring staff, that knew nothing about sales (crazy right?) So that’s what I did. My store isn’t polished or modern. It’s warm and a little chaotic! Like me I guess. When I hire new staff, the first thing I tell them is this, our goal is not to sell a handbag, it’s to make a relationship, a connection with a person. You don’t know the backstory of who is walking through those doors, your genuine care and interest might make all the difference to them that day, and I’d rather them leave my store knowing they had just been loved and genuinely cared for than with a new handbag. That is the precedent I set, and I hire people not based on their skills or selling ability but based on their character and person. I am MOST proud when a customer tells me what my store means to them, what my staff means to them. And I am proud to say I get to hear those stories weekly.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
My dad, Rian Gittman. He is an Entrepreneur himself. He barely graduated high school and he moved to Florida in 1988 with $20 in his pocket. He built a successful business selling reptiles and exotic mammals in the pet industry. He provided for my mother and 6 children and from $20 and a lot of hard work he built an empire. He is now the #2 retail and wholesale distributor of Reptiles in the country and he continues to innovate, grow and expand. He is my #1 cheerleader and although he made sure I did everything on my own, from my own resources, I know he was always a few steps behind me with a safety net.
My sister Arlee Rose has been with me since day 1. When I had health issues, she basically ran the business for a year and kept it not only going but growing. She is amazingly talented. And she is the rock my balloon is tied to.
My husband, Austin Harris. He makes it happen. I am the dreamer, he is the doer. I put it on paper, he makes it a reality. He has always believed in me and encouraged me to reach my potential (and pushed me when I wanted to settle). I would probably still be working from my spare bedroom if he hadn’t insisted I keep pressing on for more and greater.
Contact Info:
- Address: 21338 Saint Andrews Blvd
Boca Raton, FL 33433 - Website: thepurseladies.com
- Phone: 561-962-5102
- Email: mail@thepurseladies.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepurseladies/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The.Purse.Ladies/
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