Welcome to our monthly Sister Spotlight! We are excited to share with you the stories of the inspiring women who make up our Super Mama Squad! If you would like to be featured or would like to nominate someone to be featured please email us at info@supermamas.la
Current Boutique, is a shop for fashionistas with an eye for vintage gems.
Carmen Lopez founded her shop in 2007 with the notion that the modern woman’s busy life needs a revolving wardrobe that can keep up with that schedule. It began with her own love of designer pieces, that kept her fashionable, current and on trend. She also had a thirst for recycling her pre-loved designer gems.
Current Boutique operates by accepting lightly used women’s clothing, bags, shoes, jewelry and other accessories from people who want to sell. They take pieces they they can sell in stores and online and then split the proceeds with the seller if its purchased. But soon after starting the business she noticed that this could be something bigger!
Current Boutique is known for innovative events and for making connections. They collaborate with the hottest influencers, up-and-coming fashionistas and style-novices alike. We browsed her site and instantly found some Vintage Valentino and Jimmy Choo we would love for our closets. (Wink, Wink)
She soon saw an opportunity to develop a community for fashion lovers!
My goals was to create A community where women could bring their pre-loved designer gems and recycle them into, new-to-them designer outfits.
She started the business by pulling together her entire life's saving and investing it into her business. There were skeptics but she believed so firmly in her idea that she signed a ten-year lease on her first store in Alexandria, Virginia. Her business now generates million dollar profits each year and boasts thousands of devout sellers and buyers.
She is also the mother of a 14 month old daughter, Annie who is named after her mom. She told us that her husband and family are a tremendous support system, "I have a wonderful father who is the greatest babysitter on the planet and two older brothers who have always looked out for me. Oh yes, don’t forget my nieces, nephew, aunts, uncles and my cousins (LOTS of cousins!). " Her husband also runs the business with her.
“My family is the heart of everything I do and I love them all.”
One of the things she likes about being an entrepreneur is that she gets to create her own schedule and spend her mornings with her daughter Annie and she couldn’t image starting her day without the quality time they share.
“I get to work with a sense of determination – knowing I need to work hard every day to keep the life that I’ve grown to love.”
She is proud of launching our e-commerce site and challenging herself to venture out of her comfort zone. She told us that “moving into the online space was a whole different animal. I surrounded myself with great people that new the industry. All I had to do was teach them about what made Current Boutique great. From there, we built an amazing online experience. It was my biggest challenge but my greatest reward!”
She has been an entrepreneur since she was 28 years old and she likes that everyday is like an adventure.
“I am betting on myself and my team to get things done every day to keep the ball rolling and making new discoveries and improving processes as we go along"
We asked her about her secret weapon and she noted that she can’t live without exercise.
“Stamina is important for running your own business and chasing your little one - staying in shape is key.” She also enjoy reading books about professional development. Her favorites are, “How to Win Friends and Influence People” and “No Thanks, I’m Just Looking.”
We love that through her business she is also creating a more sustainable world. For over ten years, they have donated tons of clothes! They also donate to Suited for Change, a DC based charity that helps women in need of professional attire, mentoring, and job-readiness education.
They are also working on a functionality that allows consignors to donate a portion of their earnings to charities.
Style with a conscience at the click of our fingers? We love it!
Learn more about Carmen and her boutique by visiting their social media @current_boutique or their website:www.currentboutique.com
