Fashion Forward

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Dottie Couture Boutiques Bring the Best in Fashion to Central Indiana

Writer / Julie Yates . Photographer / Brian Brosmer

When Dottie Couture Boutique opened in Greenwood five years ago, it was welcomed by fashion conscious yet budget minded southside women who were thrilled to discover a local clothing shop that was stylish but affordable. The word began to get out and northsiders began to take notice. A following developed, and in 2013, owner Brooke Magdzinski opened a second location in Keystone at the Crossing. The buzz continued and now Fishers residents are happy to see that one of the first retail establishments in the new downtown commercial development, The Depot, is a third Dottie Couture Boutique.

Magdzinski began her retail career after being in management in the healthcare industry. She didn’t enjoy it so she starting working in a small apparel store. It was such a positive experience that in 2006, she opened B Boutique in Bloomington. After having her first child, she sold the Bloomington store in 2010. She used the knowledge she gained from that first plunge into the fashion merchandising world, rebranded and the same year opened Dottie Couture Boutique in Greenwood.

The name comes from her grandmother Dorothy. “My grandma’s name is “Dottie” for short,” said Magdzinski. “She is a fashion icon to me, very stylish and proper. I love it when people call and ask for Dottie, it makes me giggle!” The Greenwood location seemed like a logical move since she was living in Center Grove, and she realized that if ladies wanted to shop in a boutique they had to drive to the northside of Indianapolis to do it. She felt that Greenwood would be a perfect spot to open a shop. After moving to Fishers, she saw the need for a Dottie Couture Boutique there.

“I really felt like we needed something like Dottie,” Magdzinski said. “I chose 116th Street because it is a high traffic area and close to the places most women frequent.”

Each store carries the same merchandise: stylish clothing for women of all ages, accessories such a jewelry and handbags, and gift items. Magdzinski attends trade shows and markets but also visits her vendors directly. Most of her buying is done in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Atlanta.

And she has some advice for customers. “Don’t get caught up in sizes, but buy what fits and lays nicely, and if you don’t love it, don’t buy it.” The staff at the boutiques are not on commission and each location wants shoppers to have an enjoyable experience and to genuinely love their purchases.

The brick and mortar stores are just one facet of Dottie Couture Boutiques’ business. The largest part is online sales from the website, dottiecouture.com. The website was launched at the same time the Greenwood shop opened. Inventory for the Internet sales was initially housed in the Greenwood supply room, then moved to an office building, and now is located in a 6,000 square foot warehouse.

Internet customers hail from all over the world and the constant growth is thrilling to Magdzinski. “A year ago I could take our packages to the UPS store myself and now we have a UPS truck with a U-haul attached picking up our daily outgoing packages.”

Besides word of mouth, social media is a large component of what drives business to the retail stores and internet sales. Along with the Dottie Couture website, the business has thousands of followers on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. Each site features photos of models wearing the clothes offered as well as beauty and style ideas. The women who showcase the styles and how to wear them on the social media sites are local. “Most of the models also work in the stores or have worked for me in the past. They are full-time employees at this point and shoot three to four times a week,” said Magdzinski.

Dottie Couture Boutique also has a presence on Wanelo, a virtual shopping mall for online buying. Magdzinski feels that social media has been an important way to reach customers and keep them engaged. It allows window shopping but also encourages feedback.

Magdzinski usually buys merchandise every single day to keep up with the demand. “I love what I do. I shop for a living, and who can complain about that?” She admitted that she is always brainstorming for the future, but she could not be more thankful for the present success of Dottie Couture Boutique.