Meet Adrienne Tarola

Today we’d like to introduce you to Adrienne Tarola.

Hi Adrienne, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I started my boutique because I have a love for fashion and finding unique pieces. I want women of any age to feel comfortable and relaxed while they take a look around. People can shop anywhere, but it takes more than that to make a shop worth going back to time and time again. It’s my mission to make Nashboro Chic that shop for our clients.

We offer many one-of-a-kind and custom pieces that no one else has. A few examples are our custom jean jackets that customers design themselves or our custom beaded bags. They are truly a statement piece and have become extremely popular!

Nashboro Chic is a multi-generational boutique that offers women’s clothing, accessories, and gifts. It’s a shop that makes women feel at home and a place where they can spend quality time with their mother, daughter, grandmother, aunts, and girlfriends all in one place. We offer private parties and one-on-one appointments.

I get so much satisfaction working with our lovely clients every day. It is such a joy to get to know our regulars and talk to them when they come in. It’s such a wonderful feeling to make someone feel confident and good about themselves!

Our goal is to put the “fun” back into functional fashion. We know that looking stylish can make your whole day better; that’s why we’re committed to being your source for the newest trends.

Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No. We opened Nashboro Chic in 2019 and then COVID! It has been a struggle between Covid and the economy but we are making it. I love my job. I love the wonderful ladies who come into the store just to say hi. I feel Nashboro is more than just a local boutique it has become a place where women get together and just chat!

They feel comfortable and love feeling special when I know what style they like and they trust me when I pull something that is out of their comfort zone. It is hard to compete against Amazon, Target, and even Walmart these days. I hope people realize that having your local boutiques is a special existence and if you stop supporting small businesses in your community then your community just becomes a big “AMAZON BOX.”

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My background is in marketing and event planning. I have always been heavily involved in our community with charities. I have chaired multiple charity events for local schools and St, Thomas Rutherford Hospital.

The event I am most proud of is my charity Reconstructing for Life, a foundation founded by my husband Dr. Nicholas Tarola, and myself. We created an amazing local fundraiser called Ballroom BRA (Breast Reconstruction Awareness). It consisted of having 10 locals (5 men, 5 women) dance (I set them up with professional local dance studios) and they then had to get votes. It was a dollar a vote. We raised close to 100k over 5 years. It involved so many locals, I even had the local dance studios entertain in between the contestants so they could showcase their dance studios.

I guess what sets me apart from others is truly finding pieces that can work with any age from 20-65+. Age is just a number. I always feel like if you feel confident in an outfit then your entire personality changes. I am honest with my customers. If it doesn’t look good on them, I tell them. They are my biggest advertisement. The best compliment I get regularly is the number of women who tell me how many compliments they get from their husbands or significant others when they wear something from Nashboro Chic.

Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting?
Having a brick and mortar is extremely difficult. No one is going to have a passion for your business more than you. It has been difficult to find employees who can style any generation. I have found that I only do well if I am in my shop. I am a mother of four children and I help in my husband’s practice so it is difficult to be there every day.

If you are thinking about starting a boutique be aware that it will cost you more than you think. Be prepared to work 7 days a week, all hours of the day unless you can afford to hire someone to take photos, do inventory, tag products, do your website, fulfill orders, do social media content, work your store, prepare events, create outfits and constantly flip your store and make sure you on budget and keep your brand on point.

Pricing:

• $45
• $200

Contact Info:

• Website: www.nashborochic.com
• Instagram: @nashborochic
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NashBoroChic/

Image Credits
Kim Linville Photography