Pum Bum, a women's boutique located at River Park, opened its doors in 2015 and was the first Fresno women's boutique to offer in-house personalized styling options. Photo by Ben Hensley

A lot has changed over the last two decades; we’ve seen four presidents, global recessions and pandemics, economic gains and losses and even a Chicago Cubs World Series.

Another thing that has made a major shift in practice is marketing, specifically by smaller, local retail stores. Boutique-style retailers are offering everything from digital sales to in-person styling opportunities to remain competitive.

Bianca Mattos has seen her marketing options branch into more mediums than she ever expected. Mattos, who co-owns Posh Panache with her best friend, Natalie Terrasas, said the biggest difference in handling marketing for local businesses today is social media.

“We did a ton of radio advertising [in 2007] …it was just different,” Mattos said. “Now, in this day and age, I feel like it’s all social media.”

Recently, the duo contacted a new client in Kansas — something Mattos never could have imagined with her original retail storefront.

The store’s online presence reflects a marketing strategy that has been capitalized on by companies in the past — live social media events. The duo of Mattos and Terrasas frequently goes on Facebook Live, promoting their new products and making direct contact with potential customers, gathering real-time feedback and knowledge of what is desired in the industry.

Across town at Pum Bum Society, another women’s boutique opened in 2013 by Alma Wolverton, social media and online advertising also plays a large role in the business’ strategy.

“Whether it be Facebook, whether that be Instagram, our website…that is where our advertising dollar is going,” she said. “We think that’s, right now, the most relevant.”

Wolverton has remained successful at the River Park Shopping Center, last year relocating from their original storefront to a larger space. There she can offer more inventory and space for the store’s specialty — personalized design and styling options.

The individualized styling option offered at Pum Bum is, of course, an in-person service. Wolverton said that the service is what gave the boutique its recognition in Fresno, being the only store to do that at the time of its inception.

“We’ve always offered the personal styling; that’s what we brought into Fresno — we were the first to do it,” she said. “We’re really proud of being able to give something to Fresno that was really only offered in a bigger city.”

 

It has led to other opportunities.

“We got the chance to go up to Tenaya Lodge and style all of their marketing materials,” she said. “Taking on those projects with businesses here in town and their styling needs is so important and we’re so proud to do that.”

Getting people in the door has evolved over time, with Wolverton, Mattos and Terrasas finding that many customers now will enter a store already knowing what is available thanks to online shopping and reservation systems.

Online inventory can act to invite customers into the store, with Wolverton adding that people like the ability to shop online where they are offered local delivery, local pickup and shipping, but Wolverton said that many customers prefer the in-store pickup option.

“It secures what you’re wanting to buy. It’s reserved for you, and you still get to come into the store and enjoy that atmosphere,” she said. “I think it’s a win-win for the consumer.”

Additionally, Posh Panache has recently begun shipping inventory nationwide, with clients in Texas, Florida, Kansas and other states. Mattos and Terrasas said that they hope to eventually see their storefront serve as a “warehouse,” offering both their in-store services but also shipping nationwide from their location.

The duo recently launched their Posh Panache Boutique app, available on the Google Play and Apple App Store, expanding their online and digital sales opportunities similar to how many businesses did it during the pandemic.

Terrasas said that more often than not, customers now leave with purchases, having the opportunity to check out inventory online before walking in. She and Mattos both credit that to their online accessibility.

Wolverton said that community support will always remain the No. 1 focus for small, independently owned businesses.

“Our community can’t be as amazing as it can be if we’re not supporting our local coffee shops and our local restaurants and our local shopping,” she said. “Whatever that may be on a local level, we have to feed that before anything else.”