NautiGirl Beachwear's Buying Process

One of the questions I get asked most is: How does NautiGirl Beachwear choose what brands and products we sell? It comes from pretty much everyone: friends, customers, and other small business owners. So, I wanted to share our process in case it can help another store owner decide what's right for them or just satisfy our customers' curiosity. The quick answer, I want something that sells itself!

If you've been to our retail location in St. Pete, you'll quickly see that our store is pretty small. We have about 900 sq ft, including our storage room, which isn't a lot of space to display and sell our products. So, for us, selecting great brands and products that our customers love, is paramount. If we get that wrong, it impacts us greatly.

Quality That Lasts

The main thing we look for is a brand that is a category leader in quality and that stands behind their products. When we sell something, we want the customer to not only be delighted with their original purchase, but keep that same feeling as they wear that piece over and over. It's really a two-fold reason for us though. One, that person will be a repeat customer, because they know that what they get at NautiGirl Beachwear is top quality and is worth their money in the long run. And two, it cuts down on the time I have to spend handling customer issues and complaints. Which, in turn, lets me concentrate on running the business, staying on top of market trends to bring in new brands and products, and being in store interacting with more customers. And my happy place is in the store, hearing our customers' stories and sharing my own.

Comfort Without Sacrificing Style

The next thing we look for is just as important, comfort without sacrificing style. We know the fashion industry is driven by style, but it seems as if they used to sacrifice comfort to achieve it. Well, all that changed for the better after 2020, when comfort became a key industry trend, and I'm glad it did. So, to embrace this new wave of comfortable fashion, we look for materials that can be worn all day, for multiple occasions, and that you really forget what you're wearing is so stylish. From amazing fabrics and prints, to swim shorts that have patterns appear when they get wet, to coverups that sparkle and stretch, we have it all.

Form and Function (Yes, Pockets!)

I’m also a firm believer in form and function, so we also look for functionality. Do I have enough pockets? Can I hang my sunglasses on my shirt or shorts? Is it easy to use? And the list goes on. If you look at a lot of the dresses we carry, you'll notice something that catches most women by surprise, they have pockets. I don't know who decided along the way that women shouldn't have pockets, but I feel like that's a little unfair. So, when we purchase dresses, we try to get as many as possible that have pockets. And our customers thank us for it!

Brands With a Purpose

Another key criterion is a company purpose that is set out to do some good in the world. From brands that donate to ocean conservation, plant trees to offset carbon emissions, give jobs to those in severe need, or making their products out of recycled ocean plastic. We know that it takes a lot of the Earth’s natural resources to make the goods we’re consuming, so if we can reduce or offset that impact, we’ll choose that product.

Unique Pieces You Won't Find Anywhere Else

And finally, we look for brands and products that are unique. We try to carry items that you can't really find anywhere else, and that you'd be hard pressed to find another person wearing. Because we want our customers to be the only one on the beach or at the pool wearing that style.

The Best of the Best

So, really what we want in a product that makes it into our store, is something that speaks to our customers in multiple ways. The quality, the look, the feel, the design, the functionality, and a unique piece that they'll love every time they put it on. We really are looking for the best of the best, because that's what we want for ourselves, and we want to share that same experience with our customers.