Never have we all been as clued up about the power of investment pieces as we are right now. Seriously though, if there was ever an upside to the recession, it’s that the whole cost-per-wear breakdown and seriously thinking through the longevity of a piece are things most of us now do on automatic pilot. Talk about spending designer prices on childrenswear though and the issue is a contentious one. For Julie Turkel Abrahamson, spending that little bit extra on her children’s clothes isn’t something she ever thought twice about. In fact, she’s a film believer that the idea that childrenswear should be cheap and disposable because they grow so much is actually wasteful and works out more expensive.
Don’t be fooled though – she’s not advocating that you head straight to your nearest designer store and shell a fortune. After having her daughters (Justine, 8, and Romy, 5) she turned to places like eBay to find pre-owned pieces from brands like Bonpoint, Stella McCartney and Caramel Baby & Child – all great quality, but without the hefty price tag. “Moms would always ask me about where I got my girls’ clothes,” she explains. “Most moms would never take the time to research and hunt down luxury products on eBay like I did.” It’s what inspired the launch of Girls on Greenwich, her perfectly curated online kids’ consignment store that hosts a more affordable selection of all the top brands. ‘We all know how fast kids outgrow their clothes,” she says, so “the only way for me to afford to buy what I love for my girls was to re-sell what we no longer needed.” In Julie’s mind, considering that we’re all talking about sustainability and buying less but better when we shop for ourselves, it only makes sense that we take the same approach with our children’s clothes. “I believe our philosophy of ‘better quality, less waste’ is how moms today really want to shop for their kids.”
As it turns out, the luxury children’s wear market is growing a twice the rate as the overall children’s market and consignment is one of the fastest growing segments of online retail so the timing couldn’t have been better. We caught up with her at her loft-style West Village abode (decorated in partnership with Homepolish interior designer, Erica Riha) to talk start-up life, motherhood and her debut fashion line…
LIFE BEFORE GIRLS ON GREENWICH: My background is in licensing and brand collaborations. Prior to starting my own businesses, I worked for a few media companies like Nickelodeon. My job was to negotiate and manage partnerships with the companies that made licensed toys and other products for Nickelodeon shows like Rugrats and Blues Clues. It was a fun, creative job but also a serious multi-million-dollar business. I left the corporate world relatively early to start a licensing agency called Ripe Ideas. On a personal level, I had always been keen on luxury, design and fashion brands (or I should say, shopping!). I started Ripe Ideas to focus on the designer brand niche because I felt designers could benefit from the licensing model. My first clients were Jonathan Adler and Nate Berkus. I worked with them to find manufacturers and retailers to partner with them to create home and lifestyle products like bedding, furniture, décor and stationery. That was about 15 years ago, and I still run Ripe Ideas today. I work with designer Dabney Lee, and we have several categories of products at Target and other major retailers. Dabney also created the branding for Girls on Greenwich.
ON ALWAYS HAVING AN ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT: My media jobs were interesting, but I knew very early on that the corporate world was not for me. I am very independent and creative, and I like to work in my own space. Once I realized that about myself, I found an executive coach to help me figure out how to transition and get more personal satisfaction out of my work. That’s when I had the idea for Ripe Ideas. At the time I didn’t think of myself as entrepreneur, but I suppose hiring a career coach in my late 20’s was an early indication of my aspirations.
HOW GIRLS ON GREENWICH CAME INTO BEING: In order to pay the rent while starting Ripe Ideas, I started selling my designer clothes on eBay and became an avid eBayer in my spare time. Many years later, I had my daughters and would buy them the nicest clothes from Bonpoint, Bonton and Caramel Baby. When they outgrew their clothes I would re-sell them on eBay or to friends and use the money to buy the next size up. I realized that buying better quality products for my girls was actually affordable through re-sale and less wasteful than shopping mass. My mom friends were not keen on shopping eBay but were constantly asking me for resources and style advice. When I looked at the market growth in both luxury kids and online consignment it seemed like an opportunity to start Girls on Greenwich as an e-commerce site that caters to modern moms with elevated taste.
HOW THEIR DIFFERENT FROM EBAY: GoG is a boutique shopping experience where everything is presented and for sale all in one place. You can find amazing things on eBay, but you have to discover the good sellers through trial and error. You might find a dozen pieces to buy on eBay, but then you may have to pay shipping a dozen times unless you buy from one seller. We like to say we are “easy, green, smart and chic”. We are very selective about our consignors and what we choose from them. Shopping on Girls on Greenwich is a very high touch experience because of our distinct level of curation and presentation. I always want to highlight the beauty and quality of the brands we consign.
THE CURATION PROCESS: We are small enough that I can get to know the moms that consign with us. I prefer to work with moms that are avid collectors of the brands we carry vs. moms that occasionally buy one great item and have only that one item to sell. When I look at the actual pieces that come in, the most important thing is the quality and condition. There are also independent brands that are hard to find online and in the US that are perhaps not on the radar screens of other consignment shops. Our buyers request these brands, and so I often select pieces with specific buyers in mind.
ON THE CONTENTIOUS ISSUE OF DESIGNER KIDSWEAR: Through my own personal experience on eBay and now with Girls on Greenwich, I see how better quality merchandise simply lasts longer. I have items that I bought used, had both of my daughters wear and outgrow them, and they are still in amazing re-sale condition. Simply put, it’s less wasteful to buy better quality, and buying used is affordable via re-sale.
ON THEIR FORAY INTO WOMENSWEAR DESIGN: I developed a relationship with a very talented editorial photographer and entrepreneurial mom Hallie Burton, and she has a line of dresses for women and girls called Smokks. I really love the story of Smokks and its philosophy of no fuss dresses – no buttons or zippers, all made with long lasting Liberty fabrics. We met one day and I was fascinated to learn that her women’s business was a huge driver. I am all for “style made simple” in my own clothes so we decided to collaborate on a women’s dress. We call it the Jussie Smokk because it was loosely inspired by a simple shape I discovered post pregnancy after I had my daughter Justine. It has a longer length and ties at the shoulders so it will fit most women (pregnant or not). And it has pockets – these simple, stylish but practical details are what I love so much about Smokks.
RUNNING HER BUSINESS FROM HER HOME: I love working from home. When I am feeling stuck I like the freedom of being able to tidy up while I think through work issues. It also allows me to balance work and motherhood tasks. The biggest challenge working from home is finding space for our growing inventory. I am great with organizing closets, so I have that covered. It’s also very hard to leave work behind at the end of the day when it’s always around. A start up (especially e-commerce) is 24/7 by nature.
ON HER HOME DÉCOR: I am a minimalist, but kid stuff is often very maximalist. With that in mind, my approach to design is to choose furniture in shades and textures of white and grey and then let all of our artwork and accessories (like vintage rugs, Liberty print boxes or a fun dollhouse) bring in the pops of colour. Those kinds of accessories can be changed easily. Most of my rugs and art come from eBay or vintage stores. Truth be told, I was not very strategic about decorating each room. I am a big believer that if you invest in quality pieces that you love and you put them all together in a room, somehow it will all work. I like to decorate over time and have a look that is both clean and collected. I also made sure to add storage pieces that keep toys and backpacks and our GoG inventory organized so that all of our “stuff” has its place (behind closed doors).
PLANS TO VENTURE INTO HOMEWARE: Licensing in home and lifestyle is my area of expertise and I have great contacts. Having a home collection or collaboration would be a dream, especially in the children’s market where it so hard to find unique rugs, bedding and wall décor. Moms ask me about decorating kids rooms all the time, so I hope we can get into the space someday soon. I have no shortage of ideas and a long list of brands I’d love to work with.
ON THE CHALLENGES THAT COME WITH BEING A START-UP: Um, where do I start? There are so many. I guess the one that always come up is the challenge of being a self-funded start up. The growth is slow and, in many ways, could easily be accelerated by having more money and more resources. Figuring out how to allocate funds with limited resources is a challenge. Finding outside funding is a full time job and investor partnerships have their own challenges.
HER BUSY TIMETABLE: A typical week might involve two kinds of photo shoots – a product shoot so that we can add new arrivals to the site and an editorial shoot for site content and Instagram. Those days are fun but very active. On other days I will visit consignors, inspect/describe merchandise that comes in or add new products to the site – all very detailed processes. Most recently, we started doing shopping events and we are meeting with new brands to discuss exclusive collaborations with Girls on Greenwich.
ON HOW MOTHERHOOD HAS SHAPED HER APPROACH TO WORK: Girls on Greenwich is centered on my life as a mother. My girls are young, but they are involved and feel a sense of ownership in the business too. It makes me realize that they are learning from me and witnessing my start-up journey, and that might shape who they become professionally. I would love to create a family business that they can choose to run one day. That would be totally their choice, but it is honestly something I wish for them every day. Being a mom with a start-up is flat out risky and it’s hard work, so the challenge is trying to keep my stress level to a minimum and reminding myself to shut-off work when I am with the girls. I am lucky to have the opportunity to be involved in school and their activities without having to justify taking the time off to be present with them.
ON THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING ‘ME’ TIME: After the girls go to bed I try and catch up on work but I also end my day every day, with a bath. The moment they’re settled I turn the water on in my bathroom. Sometimes I listen to water running for a few minutes while I answer emails, and that sound signals that it’s time to wrap it up and transition out of the workday.
MANAGING FAMILY & START-UP LIFE: I am not sure if the perfect level of balance is possible, but I would say to take advantage of the benefits of being your own boss and go to yoga or have lunch with a friend in the middle of the day just because you can (and because it’s something great you can do for yourself). It’s also important to pace yourself – set smaller, realistic goals that allow you to fit in time for doing both work and family tasks, and time to breathe, every day.
WORKING WITH BEST FRIEND SHIRIN MALKANI: We have distinct roles – Shirin focuses more on technology and operations and I am more focused on merchandise and marketing. We try to stay in our own lanes but sometimes it is hard with the needs of a start-up. I am lucky to have a partner that I truly respect and trust. That is the benefit of working with a great friend, but the challenge is having both “work time” and “friend time”.
ON TRUSTING YOUR INSTINCT: The truth is you are going to make a lot of mistakes when you start a business. If you go with your gut you won’t have that nagging feeling that things would have turned out better if only you had followed your own instincts. There will be no “what if” – you will know – and having that knowledge and experience will help you grow.
ON HER ADVICE FOR FELLOW BUSINESSWOMEN: In many ways, I’m not a good person to give advice because I tend to take on more than I can handle! If anyone has advice for me I’d appreciate it. One thing I let go of is the notion that I am going to get it all done. I may have a lot on the calendar for marketing but I may only have the time to do one thing on the list in any given week. That’s okay as long as I can prioritize.