When Shih-Fen Hu gave birth to her first child in August 2010 and kids’ clothes became a mainstay in her life, the SoHo resident wanted to enter the industry herself. But with a baby at home and a working husband, she couldn’t quite find the time to open a physical store. So she waited a […]
When Shih-Fen Hu gave birth to her first child in August 2010 and kids’ clothes became a mainstay in her life, the SoHo resident wanted to enter the industry herself. But with a baby at home and a working husband, she couldn’t quite find the time to open a physical store. So she waited a few years and did the next best thing: In January 2013, Hu started ordering inventory, created a logo and designed a website for an online store, Carousel New York, which she launched in September of last year. “I wanted to open a physical store, but after we went over rent costs and things like that, I decided to keep it on the website,” she remembers. Hu keeps brands like Indikidual, Bob & Blossom and Moi in stock and only focuses on clothing and some accessories. She notes that she plans on branching into shoes next spring with Taiwanese line Grace Gift.
With one child and another on the way, Hu doesn’t have any immediate plans to open a physical boutique, but it could happen somewhere down the line. For now, Hu plays host to pop-up shops around the city. “I’d like to eventually have my own store,” she says. “I like the feeling of having one, which is why we set up the pop-up shops. But I’ll keep it on the web for now.”
—Samantha Sciarrotta
Q: What is the biggest challenge that comes with running a web store?
A: Promoting and marketing. I do everything I can. We’re active on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram. The pop-up shops are another way to promote. I advertise as much as I can.
Q: What are some of your bestselling brands for baby?
A: Tinycottons is a fairly new brand based in Barcelona that does well for us. They make all of their pieces with 100 percent pima cotton. Everything is very simple, soft and comfortable. Misha & Puff specializes in hand-knit pieces. Its vests, cardigans and winter accessories quickly became top sellers.
Q: What about for girls?
A: Louise Misha is definitely our bestselling brand for girls. It’s based in Paris and you can totally see the vintage and bohemian kind of feeling in most of the designs. We also ordered some jewelry pieces this season.
Q: What do boys like?
A: Indikidual, a unisex brand, is great. Every piece is made with organic cotton. You can see cute graphics and simple designs on the pieces. It’s designed to be practical and comfy as well as fashionable and expressive. Loud Apparel is another. The brand reflects an amalgamation of British creativity and the minimalistic Italian design. There are a lot of blacks, whites and greys as well as simple graphics with unique cuttings.
Q: What is the best brand you’ve added in the last year?
A: My favorite new additions for Spring/Summer ’14 are American Outfitters, Eleven Paris and Molo. And for Fall/Winter, we will be adding few new brands to the shop such as OmamiMini, Two Els and Gold.
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