Bountiful Boutique: ETHAN + ANNA
By Jamie Slack Photos by David Vincent
This relationship enabled them to navigate the tough road of starting a small business. Ashley was able to share valuable insights into how the market works and effective ways to create a close bond with customers.
These two friends, who met each other through their kids, had a strong sense of micro fashion and knew that other moms and dads needed some tiny clothing inspiration. They opened Ethan + Anna in the Brookwood Shopping Center in September of 2017. Even though the business partners were new to entrepreneurship, they had a pretty good idea about what they were getting into.
“Our husbands both own their own businesses, so we’re kind of in the small business arena,” Kim said. “I think there were no surprises with the amount of work that goes into a small business.”
They did their research, developed a business plan, and then enlisted the help of the Washburn University Small Business Development Center in Topeka.
“This is an amazing resource for people like us,” Aimee said.
Another resource enlisted by Aimee and Kim: marketing experts.
“We’ve worked with Sprout Communications to create videos that show our business, which were really fun to make. They had really cool ideas that fit our brand,” Aimee said.
The boutique relies heavily on social media to promote its products.
“We’ve created a VIP group where we also do sneak peaks,” Aimee said. “The changing of the algorithms is the difficult thing about social media. We want people to be in the loop and see what we’re posting.”
In addition to working with social media, Ethan + Anna aims to revamp its website in the next year to reach out to new clients and more effectively promote the clothing and fun events.
