Jeanne Jordan (left) and Karla Sonnek left education to open Wink Clothing Boutique in 2014.[/caption]Jeanne Jordan and Karla Sonnek said they never refer to their new line of employment as “work.”
The concept of starting their own business was hatched when Sonnek and Jordan realized teaching was becoming less fun because of high-stakes testing and an increasingly stressful environment in public education, Jordan said. The teaching veterans left their respective jobs in education last year to launch a clothing boutique in Buda.
“We decided to do something just for the fun of it,” Jordan said. “Let’s finish our careers with something fun.”
The pair opened Wink Clothing Boutique on July 5. The store carries women’s clothing, jewelry, shoes and accessories.
Jordan said she has been told the selection of clothes in the store is very “bohemian,” referring to the shop’s ’60s- and ’70s-inspired looks.
It is a style the owners said appeals to customers both young and old. Jordan said the store has had shoppers as young as about 11 years old, and the boutique also attracts women in their 80s. Wink also caters to sizes ranging from petite to plus-size, she said.
Jordan said the boutique does not carry items costing more than $100; clothing in the store tends to range from $25 to $80.
Leggings and tunics are among the most popular items at Wink, Sonnek said. Tunics are loose-fitting blouses that tend to fall to the thighs.
Sonnek said some of the people skills they used on a daily basis as teachers translate well to their new roles, and in some ways their customers are like their students.
As teachers they were skilled at helping students through self-esteem issues. Many of their clients, meanwhile, walk into Wink with minimal confidence in their manner of dress, Sonnek said.
“We have a good number of women who come in and say, ‘I don’t know how to dress anymore. Can you help me?’” she said. “[Helping those customers] is what we thrive on.”
Jordan said they work to boost their customers’ confidence and allow them to explore their creativity when it comes to dressing.
“We tell them dressing should be fun,” she said. “They do a lot of exploring here that they probably wouldn’t do in some boutiques.”
The work they do for their customers combined with the outpouring of support from the Buda community has helped validate their decision to leave education and begin their own retail business, Jordan said.
Sonnek and Jordan also said they make it a point to refer customers to other local boutiques and small businesses if Wink does not carry the requested item.
“The support from Buda has been phenomenal,” Jordan said. “And I don’t think we would get that in most cities.”
