Daisy Mae Boutique…where the past makes the perfect present
“They deal with people in business day in, day out, but they made me feel like I was the only business that had walked through their door. They made me feel like I was special.”
For Marianne Blaney, owner of vintage fashion store Daisy Mae Boutique, there is no underestimating the role played by the Causeway Enterprise Agency and the ‘Go For It’ programme played in helping her develop my business plan. Or that they exceeded her expectations.
“I came from an office environment, with absolutely no retail or customer-facing experience. I had attempted to get the business up and running, but it had reached the stage where it was on the backburner because I didn’t know what direction to take.
“That’s when I contacted the Causeway Enterprise Agency. They fast-forwarded me and my business. No matter what it was, they would help me.”
The inspiration behind Daisy Mae Boutique lies in a ritual not known for its sartorial elegance or style, the Hen Night. “I wanted something different. I didn’t want to do the traditional fancy dress Disney Princesses hen night. I wanted to do glamourous and stumbled across the Fifties style.”on with American vintage clothing pioneers Lindy Bop that sent Marianne hop-stepping it to business start-up. “It got to the point that I was ordering so many dresses from them that I asked to open a wholesale account. From there the idea of Daisy Mae Boutique was born.”
And the name? Some classic pin-up, a Holywood starlet whose light shone all too brightly? No. “I don’t want to shatter the illusion, but I simply incorporated two of my most favourite people’s names, this made it more personal, it gave it more meaning.”
The vintage swing skirts, sparkly shoes, and uber-cool cardigans have struck a chord with local shoppers, an alternative look for parties etc that doesn’t demand you embrace the Fifties rockabilly lifestyle. A second store is already in the pipeline.
“It’s gone better than I ever imagined, but Daisy Mae wouldn’t be where it is today without the support from the Causeway Enterprise Agency. Although Marianne admits she is a bit of a technophobe, she has learnt several skills at the Enterprise Agency to help develop her social media presence and grow her Facebook followers to over 6000.
“I’ll never forget that.”
If you can start a business doing something you love, you will never work a day in your life – it’s not work, it’s a passion’