This month’s featured fashion interview is with Georgia Rinaldi of New York, CEO and Owner of
Indigo Sky NY, a boutique website showcasing shoes, handbags, jewelry and accessories. If you’re searching for unique pieces at an affordable price,
Indigo Sky NY is the website boutique for you. And, if you’ve dreamed of starting and owning your own fashion boutique, then read this interview to learn more about how Georgia is making her fashionable dreams come true.
LS: How did you come up with the name for your fashion boutique
Indigo Sky NY?
Georgia: Hmmm.… Several things contributed to my choice of name. I had an idea for the graphics and needed a name that could complement it and that people would remember.
LS: What is the concept of this boutique website?
Georgia: My concept is just that, a boutique. As with a shop in the city where you might only find a few product lines or a few pieces of each item. I like to mix those must-have items that you don’t mind spending a bit more on with the can-have styles that are easily affordable. They have to have the panache of the more expensive pieces at a significantly lower price. Personally, I don’t mind spending a fortune on a pair of boots or shoes that are classic and will be in style for years (my closet is full of them), but often I don’t want to spend as much on trendier pieces that may only survive a season. And while I’m at it, I also look for products that are vegan.
LS: What inspired you to create
Indigo Sky NY?
Georgia: Basically, I’m a former corporate VP / IT manager who for many years worked for corporations like Marsh & McLennnan and the former TWA. After the events of 2001, having lost so many friends and colleagues, I became less enthused about being in the city while my daughter, who is now six, was in daycare over an hour away in Westchester. Things have a way of working themselves out, and when Marsh eliminated thousands of positions at the end of 2004, I left. I decided to return to a previous occupation and renewed my real estate sales license, then joined a national firm (Keller Williams). I still work in residential real estate. But I always remembered a few words of advice given to me a long time ago, basically ‘do what you love and it won’t feel like work.’
With that, I decided I would look into opening a shoe store. I began scouting for a location for a brick and mortar store. Business plan in hand, I sought financing, only to learn that it generally was not available unless I was already in business for two years. So, I set up a New York corporation in 2006 to be official and eventually created the present site. I continue to look for a location, as I am still considering a storefront if the right location is found.
Accessories can make or break an outfit. I have tons of shoes, scarves, bags. And I much prefer to have things that are not seen on everyone else – so I go for the detailed and the ‘different.’ That’s how I shop for myself and also for my boutique.
LS: I love the look of Indigo Sky NY– the cityscape, the cute girl with the great style…did you design the site yourself or did you hire someone to do it for you?
Georgia: The concept was mine, insofar as I sketched it. That little pooch is a tribute to one of my keeshonds (Rocky), who we lost this past January. The graphics were designed by Rebecka Patterson – Seagrave. She’s an amazing artist and a work-at-home-mom who lives in Queensland, Australia. (She also owns an alpaca farm.) After much painstaking effort, she transformed my sketch into the illustration you see. Her site is Reall EZ.com.
LS: What were the challenges you faced when starting Indigo Sky NY?
Georgia: The biggest challenge was trying to get the site designed and operational at minimal cost. Which I’ve done. It doesn’t have all the bells and whistles that some sites have, but it works. Hosting fees are another issue – Rebecka works in conjunction with a firm in New Jersey that does affordable hosting for WAHMs – it’s called
WahmShoppes.com. They provide the ‘back-end’ to the store (store manager) and do hosting at an incredibly low cost.
LS: Do you have any advice for other people who dream of starting their own boutique website?
Georgia: Go for it. But don’t expect to make money immediately. Do a business plan. Learn some basic accounting. Form an LLC or corporation. Do your own bookkeeping (learn how to use Quickbooks) and get a good accountant for your returns. Be organized. Check with your local board of labor on free seminars and coaching. A couple years ago, at a seminar for SCORE (Service Core of Retired Executives) one of the speakers was a co-founder of BlueFly.com. It started small and it wasn’t expected to be a big hit. But it’s still around and thriving.
LS:You have some pretty cool pieces on your site – from Tolani scarves to Jane Marvel handbags, how do you select what to sell on Indigo Sky NY?
Georgia: My inventory is not too extensive right now. Overall, I buy what I like. If it’s a trend and I don’t like it, I’ll pass. As I said, I don’t like to see myself coming and going, so I might select something with an embellishment or detail that makes it unique.
LS: So, what are the hottest items on your site right now? Is there anything you find difficult to keep in stock?
Georgia: Tolani is the biggest hit. They sell out as fast as I can get them in stock.
LS: What impressive fashion items do you have coming up in the future? What should we keep a watch for?
Georgia: I’m working out an affiliate program with an Australian Ugg boot manufacturer. Ugg is the generic term for a sheepskin boot in Australia. These are super high-quality shear
ling boots as compared the the branded Ugg boots that are so hugely popular and are now made in China. I’ve just set up an account with Modern Vintage and Miss Sixty. In the spring I’d like to carry some espadrilles from Castaner of Spain. Price and minimum quantities are always a consideration. So we’ll see!
LS: What are your favorite trends for Fall 2008?
Georgia: I like some of the shoe booties, especially the ones that lace. CK and Martinez Valero have some great styles. Also, for some reason, I like some of the chunky biker-style boots.
I also like the some of the handknits and wrap sweaters that’s I’ve been seeing. See Garnet Hill catalog. Jewel-tones, earthier colors for fall. Also sweaters by Wooden Ships, which I’m thinking of carrying. I absolutely HATE the high-waisted skirts and trouser pants. I used to wear them a long time ago, and trust me, you have to be very skinny to pull them off. Most people can’t pull of this look PLUS they wear the wrong shoes with them. Wish these would go away.
While the scarf in the photo is from H&M, I’ve been collecting most of my scarves from thrift stores, including 
