Behind the Scenes of a Women’s Boutique in Ottawa

Alright Ladies, I'm going to let you behind the curtain for a minute.

We were standing in the shop the other day doing our videos for social media and we got to talking about spring buying, and Skippy stopped the conversation cold.

"Can I say one thing, though?"

Sure.

"I think when people hear you say buying for spring, which is, you know, six or 
eight months or a year out, it sounds like, oh, that's so fun.

You get to go and see all these collections, and you get excited, and you're 
going to buy this and buy that and buy that and buy that."

She paused and continued…

"Well, I've been with you on some of these. And they're actually not that fun."

I laughed because I'm the one living it. But I think it deserves a bit more of a conversation.

So here's the honest version of what actually goes into deciding what ends up on the racks at 263 Richmond Road. It's not a mood board and a glass of prosecco, although that’s a lovely dream. It's spreadsheets, math, and a whole lot of second-guessing.

It looks like shopping. Really it’s forecasting.

Right now, in early September, fall is landing in the shop. Boxes everywhere. All of our ladies have a life, I know, HOW dare they!? 🤣  So, there's time off to consider, we're all busy unpacking a new season, getting that up on the web all while I’m looking ahead to 2027. 

Yes. Six months out. 

That's the challenge, and honestly, it's the fun of it too. I'm thinking about our ladies in their 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s who all come through that door. I want to make sure we have workwear for the women who are still in the workforce. Something fun for the summer months when everyone's enjoying the heat. And it's prime wedding season, so we'd better have some eventwear as well. Not to mention all the accessories and jewelry to go along with it. 

But think about what that actually means. I'm sitting in my office, catalogs that look like those ones we used to get from Sears, thinking about what sold this year and trying to find my crystal ball that I must have misplaced trying to figure out next year! 

It is really stressful to determine what your ladies are going to like. That's the whole job in one sentence.

Now, I have been doing this for 30 years so I’ve learned a thing or two. Starting with rule number one: I'm buying for you, not me. There are hundreds of lovely ladies who range in size from a size 2 through 18, with completely different bodies, budgets, lifestyles, and opinions about whether you'll ever wear a wide-leg pant (I don’t but the internet says they look good on me.)

My second rule: Budget has to be considered! And the number does not move! Which just takes all the fun out of it. I didn’t mind the math when I was a seamstress but that math seemed to make more sense. An inch here, ⅝ there. This money math? Less fun, let me tell you.

I have a budget of this much. Then I see something I want. And then something else comes off the list! 

Every dollar I spend on one collection is a dollar I'm not spending on another. Say yes to a beautiful printed jacket, and I'm saying no to three tops that might have sold faster. Say no to something because it feels risky, and I'll spend the whole season watching women come in and ask for exactly that piece.

There's no algorithm for it. There's no data set that tells me what a woman in Westboro is going to fall in love with in eight months. There's experience, gut instinct, a lot of notes. Which is why when you gals tell us what you’re liking it’s so incredibly helpful.

Then there’s the sizing, and of course, each brand fits a bit differently. 

This is the part that still surprises me! Why can’t they all just get along?

Well, Habitat fits a bit generously, Liverpool fits true to size unless there’s stretch. Orange Fashion Village, true to size, and these are things we know and I trust these brands… But what about the brands I don’t know?

Each year I do like to bring in a brand that I’ve never tried before. It keeps things interesting, finds new designers and makes sure that I’m not carrying what everyone else is carrying also. 

I decide what sizes I'm going to bring in, how many of each size and into the spreadsheet it goes!

 

I'm guessing what you'll like, in the right sizes, in the right ratios, from a line sheet photo, months before the garment physically exists… I really do need to find that crystal ball! 

Then, twice a year, everything lands at once. But this is really the fun part. Opening all the boxes because I’ve definitely forgotten some of the things that I’ve ordered. 

The collections all show up within a few weeks of each other. Boxes stacked in the back. Everything needs to be received, checked, tagged, entered into the system, steamed, and merchandised onto the floor in a way that actually makes sense to shop! 

Ana takes the new pieces and merchandises it all. She creates all the beautiful displays you see.

 

Leslie and I are the ones getting it all into the system and tagged and taking photos for the web. 

Deb (Skippy) and I do a video shoot every two weeks or so to make sure that you know what we have on the web. 

There is no quiet season. There's just which pile is tallest. Skippy asked me how I decompress.

"If I drink, I’d drink," I told her. "But I don't drink."

"You need to find another vice, though."

"Oh, I go to the movies for two hours and hide."

"I'd rather drink." she told me through a smile.

"It gives my brain a little break."

"I'd still rather have a drink." she replied. 

For the record, we support both approaches. But there's something perfect about sitting in a quiet theatre with a box of popcorn. 

It is kind of exciting to see what's new and what's on trend. Seeing the new collections first, spotting the colour that's going to be everywhere next year, finding the one piece you just know is going to fly out the door. That part is genuinely great.

And when Skippy comes along to a buying show, she gets a pretty good half of the job.

"When I get to go, I get to try them on, so we get an idea of how they fit. And I don't have the stress, so I get excited."

Easy peasy for you, Skip :P

Which, honestly, is a pretty good summary of how this shop works.  So why am I telling you this? Not for sympathy. I love this store and I'd do it again tomorrow. Or rather, I’m doing it again tomorrow!

I'm telling you because when you walk into Three Wild Women and something on the rack feels like it was picked for you,  that's not an accident, and it isn't luck. It's a real person, months ago, sitting with a line sheet and a budget, thinking specifically about the women who walk through our door. I’ve known my gals for a long time and when I go to these shows I’m thinking of individual ladies who come in. 

It's why we carry Canadian designers alongside international lines. It's why we obsess over fit instead of just trends. And it's why, when you try something on and it doesn't work, we'll tell you because we'd rather you leave with nothing than with something that hangs in your closet.

That's what "something stylishly different" actually costs behind the scenes.
Boxes, budgets, line sheets, and one buyer hiding in a movie theatre! But there have been some great movies this season so I’m not mad. 

Fall has landed. Come see what I picked out for you.