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Offering a tastemaker perspective to multiple channels
Committing to fewer product lines had upside when Boulos insulated Charleston Street from the 2006-2007 recession by expanding his wedding planning business with a new bridal registry. After all, he says, people need to buy wedding gifts no matter what.
“We didn’t treat our registry like other retailers, where it’s essentially a showroom with one of everything on display,” said Boulos. “We carried the inventory. We’d have dozens
of everything on hand and would stack it out. It felt like you were looking into
someone’s pantry.”
By then, Charleston Street had established itself as a tastemaker in town, mostly because everything, no matter what the category, had the same feel. And while there is an art to that—Boulos’ own sense of style is what unites everything—there also is an element of science to it.
Because always, somewhere in the store, there is a section devoted to a new category
Boulos is considering adding. His expansion into custom invitations is the latest example. “We had a paper shop here 10 to 15 years before, and we did a lot of invitations,” says
Boulos, who says that period helped him understand what it took to succeed with invitations today. “We needed to have a graphic designer in house who helps people. Now we can provide a cohesive look for an event from beginning to end.”
Is there anything left to expand into? Always, says Boulos, whose mind remains wide open to new ways to grow Charleston Street. That, he says, is the fun part. ■
For more information about Charleston Street in Augusta, Ga., call 706.738.6298 or visit charlestonstreet.com.
Images courtesy of Charleston Street
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