Terry and Lauryann Irish

Category: Business
Published: June 2007

Terry and Lauryann Irish discuss the success of their boutique, Karalina's, and the Grand Opening of their new location in Clifton Park Center.

Success Magazine: What does success mean to you?

Terry Irish: Success is really about the customers. It's finding what they want, and making sure they have a good experience that makes them want to come back. You have to have the right merchandise and have the right people working for you. We have a strong team. Some of our employees have been with us for a long time. Some we hired recently. They are all great; they have helped shape the store, and we can trust them completely.

Lauryann Irish: Any smart business person realizes that success starts with your team. We try to hire people who have experience in the industry and who are good at their job. I think that has been the primary reason for our success. Pat has been with us for over two years, and she is really the heart of our store. Hiring the right people is what makes a business successful.

SM: How do you measure your success?

TI: When customers come in because another customer told them about our store. Recently, a customer came in after a baby shower. She told me that six of the boxes were from Karalina's, and I smiled, because I knew the mother had gotten six wonderful things. That is the kind of success we strive for. Ideally, I would never spend a dime on advertising, because everyone who walked out our door would bring new people in. Having that kind of repeat business and being financially solvent are both strong measures of success.

SM: Terry, you come from a corporate background, but have had no prior retail experience. Laury, you have had retail experience. What made you decide to open Karalina's?

LI: My father always encouraged me to open my own business. I come from of a family of sales people, and he thought I would do great owning my own shop. He helped us open our first little store at St. James Square in Niskayuna. My Mom is also a driving force for me. She's passed away, but she still has a strong influence on what I buy. She had a great appreciation for simple, beautiful things, and she always wanted to own her own little boutique. We opened the business about two years after she died. There are times when I order things and I'll hear her say, "What were you thinking?" She has really motivated me, and my dad is extremely proud; it was his vision.

TI: Laury wanted a name that would honor her mother. One day, we were driving behind a car with South Carolina license plates; her dad lives in Charleston, and her mom rests there. Laury always thought her mom embodied simple beauty, so that's how we came up with our name Karalina's: simple beauty, for you, your home, your giving.

SM: You describe your shop as simple, yet it is also complex. You carry a huge variety of items.

TI: We don't fit into a category. That's probably the luxury of never having been in retail. I don't care about a category. We remember wonderful things we've seen traveling, and living in Chicago and Cleveland. We focus on great gifts, accessories, and apparel that aren't ridiculously expensive, things we think will work here.

LI: Before we started the business, I did research for about a year and a half. A lot of my research came from the big magazines. We didn't want to be a typical store, carrying the same thing that everyone in the area has. So, I did research out of Marie Claire, Lucky Magazine, Oprah, InStyle, Traditional Home, Shop, and Dominion, to name a few. We also stay informed of what is going on in other places. I travel, and research trends from Seattle, San Francisco, and Denver. I keep an eye out for things that are different and unique that you can't get here. We have found beautiful things, and some things that are just fun or unique. It's been very challenging for me, but it's fun.

TI: We listen to customers too, and look into things that they have seen. We're willing to take chances on products. We don't know if they'll work or not, but we test the market. Sometimes we're surprised.

SM: What is your best seller?

TI: Right now our best lines are Fresh produce and FLAX apparel.

LI: Our apparel lines are recognized by a lot of the women here. They are comfortable and hip.

TI: Fresh Produce is a line of casual wear. Being allowed to carry it has been quite an adventure. We had to write three essays, provide demographics, and send pictures of our store. Then they put us through an evaluation process to see if we were qualified to be vendors of their product. Once we started carrying the Fresh Produce line, it became easier to get others, like FLAX.

SM: How do you let consumers know that you carry these unique products?

LI: We try to make sure that our advertising reflects our very best products. We focus on our selection of gifts and apparel. Other items, like bath and body, and gourmet food aren't as important. We change our message slightly, depending on the time of year. It's wedding season now, and we want to let people know that we have beautiful, fun, and unusual gift ideas.

TI: Most of our children's merchandise is purchased as gifts, so we try to market it that way. We sell unique, affordable gifts for all occasions. That's how we promote the store. Otherwise, there are just too many categories. We also describe all the products we carry on our website, which we are expanding.

SM: Your new location in Clifton Park Center is attracting attention. When is your grand opening?

LI: Our grand opening begins Friday June 14th, with a Brighton Trunk show, and an Ed Levin Trunk show on Saturday. We will be serving food, working with Dinner By Design, Cinnamon and Spice Bakery, and MochaLisa's, so we can share the success of the mall and get their names out as well. We have about 2,000 people on our mailing list, so we're starting from there.

SM: Do you plan on having multiple stores or staying with this store?

LI: Well, I hope that within the next five years we can make this store extremely profitable. My personal goal is to make this a $1million store. We have talked about opening a second store in Saratoga. Personally, I would like to take the store South. I didn't name the shop Karalina's for no reason. I'd love to open another store down in the Carolina's; we actually have a lot of customers there. I don't know if we will ever become a chain. It would be kind of fun, but it would take away from the store's charm.

SM: As an entrepreneurial retailer, you have to be open whenever the mall is open, but you also want time to be with your family. How do you find a satisfying balance in your life?

LI: Our greeters, our dogs, Izzy and Houston, have been a big help. We don't have to worry about them being home alone, which was a concern for us, and the customers love them. People actually come in just to see the dogs sometimes. We also balance our schedules. There are some days that Terry has to be here, and there are days that I love to be here. Honestly, I would rather be here, in this beautiful store, than home doing house work. I love being here. I really do, but it can be tough. Working isn't difficult, but some of the demands it puts on us are, especially being away from family. The beauty of it is that Terry and I can determine our hours. For instance, we hold our Black Friday sale on the Friday before Thanksgiving. We don't have to be part of the madness, we get to enjoy Thanksgiving with our families, and the sale has been extremely successful.

TI: I don't have the same level of financial satisfaction that I got from working for Telcom for 14 years, but I do have a different kind of satisfaction, the satisfaction that people love our store. The hours can be demanding. I have a one year-old granddaughter that I haven't seen. Seeing family is difficult, and the move has been very stressful, but we try to remind each other to take a day off. We get to see each other, because we work together at least 3 times a week. Most importantly, we get to share our success, and that's a very special thing.