EP# 54: Draped in Ambition: Justice Pellegrino's Tailored Path from College Grad to Fashion Empire Maven
Apr 25, 2024Episode 54
Liz Lemon & Justice Pellegrino
What makes Justice Pellegrino with Bohdii Boutique a good neighbor?
From a youthful dream to the reality of a thriving fashion empire, Justice Pellegrino of Bohdii Boutique shares her story of ambition, adaptability, and the unexpected turns life can throw at you. Who would've thought a college graduate in communication and psychology would find her calling in the bustling world of fashion retail? Justice spills the secrets of her journey, from the launch of her boutiques to expanding her original East Longmeadow location into a 5,000 square-foot flagship store—revealing the resilience it took to grow her dream amidst a global pandemic. Bohdii Boutique
Tune in to hear about the grit behind the glitz of the fashion industry. Justice debunks common myths, peeling back the curtain to the complexities of Boutique Management. Going beyond the curated window displays and chic Instagram feeds, she delves into the nitty-gritty of merchandising, marketing, and community engagement. Justice doesn't stop there; she gets personal, sharing her love for New England, family, and how she uses her free time to explore and connect with the vibrant communities her stores serve. This episode is not just a story about fashion—it's about the power of chasing your dreams and the communities that help them flourish.
What makes Justice Pellegrino with Bohdii Boutique a good neighbor?
From a youthful dream to the reality of a thriving fashion empire, Justice Pellegrino of Bohdii Boutique shares her story of ambition, adaptability, and the unexpected turns life can throw at you. Who would've thought a college graduate in communication and psychology would find her calling in the bustling world of fashion retail? Justice spills the secrets of her journey, from the launch of her boutiques to expanding her original East Longmeadow location into a 5,000 square-foot flagship store—revealing the resilience it took to grow her dream amidst a global pandemic. Bohdii Boutique
Tune in to hear about the grit behind the glitz of the fashion industry. Justice debunks common myths, peeling back the curtain to the complexities of Boutique Management. Going beyond the curated window displays and chic Instagram feeds, she delves into the nitty-gritty of merchandising, marketing, and community engagement. Justice doesn't stop there; she gets personal, sharing her love for New England, family, and how she uses her free time to explore and connect with the vibrant communities her stores serve. This episode is not just a story about fashion—it's about the power of chasing your dreams and the communities that help them flourish.
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Liz Lemon.
Speaker 2:
Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. Are you in need of a specialty boutique? Surprisingly, one may be closer than you think. Today, I have the pleasure of introducing your neighbor, Justice Pellegrino, with Bodie Boutique. How are you today, Justice? I'm good. How are you Great? We're excited to learn all about you and your business. So tell us about Bodie Boutique.
Speaker 3:
So I started Bodie Boutique in 2019, in November of 2019. I opened in East Longmeadow Mass with a small store. I was open for about five months and then COVID happened, and that time I launched our website, our e-commerce site, and then I reopened in June of 2019 or 2020, sorry and in 2021, I opened a location in South Boston and then last summer, in June of 2023, I opened my third location in West Hartford, connecticut.
Speaker 2:
That's fantastic. How did you get into the business?
Speaker 3:
So I always wanted to do something like this. Since I was a little girl, I kind of always loved going into boutiques and fashion and all of that. I went to UMass, amherst, and I studied communication and psychology and I actually did a buying internship my junior year and that's where I learned the logistics of it and kind of fell in love with being a part of a small business and a community and all of that. When I was done with college I was a little bit lost and it kind of just happened. I was a real estate agent, I was doing commercial real estate, came across the space in East Longmeadow and kind of pivoted completely and took a chance at a very interesting time.
Speaker 3:
Obviously, I didn't expect COVID to happen, but everything worked out the way it was supposed to and yeah, that's kind of how it happened happened. There was no big plan, I just rolled with it and started in a place where I have family and friends. So I started in East Longmeadow and now I've grown to love this community. I grew up in Springfield, um, but yeah, it's been great, and I also expanded the East Longmeadow store, um, so I took over the unit next door so we went from about a thousand square feet to 5,000 square feet. So now the East Long Meadows store is huge and it's our biggest location and it kind of serves as the headquarters of the whole company.
Speaker 2:
That's great, you know, we appreciate, definitely multifaceted and chasing your dream, taking a chance. Follow through, that's for sure. What are the myths and misconceptions within the fashion boutique industry?
Speaker 3:
Oh, that's such an interesting question. I guess I would say there's just a lot more behind the scenes than what people see. So I think a lot of times it kind of just comes off as you know, you just take pictures of clothes, you help people dress and all of that, which is a huge part about it, but there's so many other things I spend the majority of my time doing behind the scenes stuff. So there's so many different elements to fashion and retail and I think anybody who's worked in any type of industry can attest to that. There's different roles, there's managing, there's merchandising, there's marketing. So it's definitely there's so much underneath the term of like a boutique or all of that.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, there's many different avenues, for sure. Outside of work, what do you do for fun?
Speaker 3:
I love to hang out with my nieces and nephews. I have a ton of them now. I love to explore around New England, hang out with my boyfriend. My friends, you know, go to new restaurants. I hang out a lot in Boston because of the store out there. Now I'm getting to know the West Hartford community really well, so I'm out there a ton. The summers I like to be in Cape Cod. So yeah, just kind of like traveling around, and definitely never in one spot, that's for sure lots of experiences we had for sure.
Speaker 2:
Let's change gears. Just for one moment. Can you describe one hardship or life challenges that you rose above and can now say because of it you're better and stronger? What comes to?
Speaker 3:
mind, of course. I actually have like two examples. Both are tailored to the business. The first one is I've been experiencing a ton of construction in my South Boston location. So there's a construction site like basically on top of us. That is something I've had to work with with the past year and I think it really just shows me to get to roll with the punches with business.
Speaker 3:
And this is might sound a little harsh, but you can't sit around and let people feel bad for you. You kind of have to make the best out of the situation and, you know, come up with new ideas, new marketing and all of that that. This construction project that's been happening has taught me a lot and has also taught me to rise above it and figure out new ways to get people in the store. And yeah, it's on you in the end, everything is on you, so nobody's going to sit there and feel bad for you. My other challenge is definitely the biggie. So we are in the biggie every year. If you're not familiar with it, it's a 17 day fair that happens in West Springfield, massachusetts. It's open from 10 am till 10 pm every single day for those 17 days. So running three stores and a fourth store for that long of a period is definitely the biggest challenge I've faced since being in business.
Speaker 2:
Right, absolutely Stay the course. Stay focused and if you take those chances, roll with it. What is the one thing you wish our listeners knew about? Bodie Boutique Absolutely Stay the course.
Speaker 3:
Stay focused and take those chances. Roll with it. What is the one thing you wish our listeners knew about Bodie Boutique? I would say one of the one things that I would love for people to know is that we do have styles and products for all ages, and we try to be very inclusive.
Speaker 3:
I think a misconception that is around town about us is that we're a younger store, but we truly do have stuff for everybody, and I personally do all the buying for the stores. So I listen to the feedback that people give me. I listen to people of all ages give me feedback on what they want to see, what they want to wear, and if you really look around, you will find stuff. Sometimes I think people get a little discouraged when they come in. They think it's a young store, but it's truly not. Sometimes I think people get a little discouraged when they come in. They think it's a young store, but it's truly not. We have something for everybody. I have, you know, my mom, my grandma, my sisters. They all shop with us and they're a range of ages from 80 to 50 to 30s.
Speaker 2:
So something for everyone. How can our listeners learn more about Bodie Boutique?
Speaker 3:
So you can follow us on all social media. So TikTok Instagram Facebook at Bodie Boutique. So you can follow us on all social media. So TikTok Instagram Facebook at Bodie Boutique. We also have a website at bodieboutiquecom that has all of our information on it. It has the addresses to all three locations. You can purchase products through our website and you can also purchase through our Instagram shop, and you can find us at the Big E this year.
Speaker 2:
Something to look forward to for sure. Well, justice, I really appreciate you being on the show today, and we wish you and your business the best moving forward.
Speaker 1:
Thank you so much for having me. Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnppalmercom. That's gnppalmercom. That's gnppalmercom, or call 413-414-5940.