Saturday, November 9, 2013

What's behind the name?




A brief history of A Cut Above Boutique and how the name came about.

"A Cut Above Boutique."  

It's a name all of us here have said a thousand times.  It's our company name and is what we're known by all across the country.  But what exactly is behind this name?  What's the meaning, the reason, the purpose, the history?  

Let's take a journey back in time about 3 years.  Brittney Denman, the company owner, was a hairstylist who had dreams of someday opening her own women's clothing boutique.  Since every retail venture requires substantial capital and lots of time it seemed more like a pipe dream than anything else.  The reality was that being a hair stylist is what kept the bills paid and there wasn't any money or time left over to pursue her dreams.


Around this same time she gets engaged to the love of her life, best friend, and soon-to-be business partner, Casey Denman.  Although a business owner himself and someone she has always considered to be supportive, Casey wasn't too open to the idea of her quitting her job in an attempt to start a business in an industry he didn't have the slightest bit of interest in or knowledge about Shortly after they said their vowels in July 2010 and with a lot of persistence on Brittney's part, the two of them decided it would be best to combine her current job as a hairstylist with her dream of starting a boutique.  Through sheer determination and very creative thinking this led to them opening A Cut Above Salon & Boutique, which was to serve as both a hair salon and a women's boutique.  Because of a much lower price point and no sizing issues to deal with the boutique began with gifts, trinkets, and miscellaneous items.  After a few weeks and much to Casey's dismay (at the time) it expanded to one dress.  Once this dress sold out, Brittney would buy two more dresses to sell which led to a continual cycle of more and more inventory.  After selling a handful of dresses the decision was made to focus more time and capital in the boutique side of the business.  A short time later they set out on their first official "buying trip" to attend market in Atlanta, Georgia.  This was to be the time that inventory was purchased and the boutique would really get started.




After arriving to their hotel at market late one Friday evening they both retired to bed with excitement and anticipation of expanding the boutique.  Much to their alarm, around 5:30am Casey wakes up to his phone ringing steadily while Brittney looks at her phone realizing she has missed multiple calls from various unknown numbers. Although they didn't know it at the time, these phone calls would literally change their life.  When Casey answered his phone, it was the landlord of their building with some devastating news. The building had caught fire overnight and at least a third of the building had been completely destroyed.  Six hours away, with very little they could do, their minds started to wonder about the damage and what would happen next.  The excitement to be on their first buying trip immediately turned to discomfort, uncertainty and tears.

As it turned out, their unit sustained severe smoke damage which ruined all of their inventory and caused them to revisit their business plan.  After a series of emotional conversations, they decided it would be best to focus all their time and effort on the boutique side of the business and close the salon permanently.  Although it meant Brittney would lose her income, the boutique side of the business is where Brittney's heart was really at and is what gave her the most happiness.  In June 2012, a few months after the fire, the salon was closed permanently and the standalone boutique was reopened in a larger, more convenient location. 

Since a following (albeit small) had been built in the previous location they decided to keep a similar name to the original which was to be A Cut Above Boutique. 


Photos used are from the first location. A Cut Above Salon & Boutique

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