Introducing Royalty: Amanda Doumato
Meet the owner of Flaunt Boutique
Amanda Doumato
Q1: Originally from: Amanda Doumato grew up in Cumberland, Rhode Island and has lived in different areas of the state throughout her life.
Q2: Her Muses: She is inspired by her dad, Ephraim Doumato. Amanda has learned how to overcome the ups and downs of a small retailer in a small state from the passion her dad has always shown, as he is the owner of Doumato Jewelers. Amanda truly believes in holding on to what you believe and working hard to achieve your goals.
Q3: Steps along the way: Growing up Amanda started helping her dad with his business. It was at a young age when she started experiencing the retail industry. Later in Wheaton College (where she completed her Bachelor's Degree), she held some retail positions in which she learned a lot about the industry, but most importantly about herself and what she wanted to do with her career. It was early in her life that she realized she would follow her own dreams and build her own boutique. After college Amanda moved to California where she attended the Gemological Institute of America in San Diego for her Gemologist Degree. Amanda then returned to Rhode Island and started working with her dad. With the help of family and friends, Amanda chose the name for her business, Flaunt Boutique. She was looking for a catchy name that would represent the vision she had for it.
Q4: A day in the life: Every day is different. Amanda has to be in different places at different times. I think it's one of the best take aways from owning your own business. She goes back and forth from Flaunt in Smithfield to her other location in Providence. She meets with vendors or sales representatives during the week. She spends a lot of time on the computer forecasting trends, answering emails, reading articles and making sure the business is running smoothly. Amanda chooses her team very carefully. She makes sure that the customer service offered by her staff is as if she was working herself with the customer. You might even get to meet Stella, Amanda's boxer who comes to work everyday!
Q5: Advice from the royal: As a successful businesswoman, Amanda advises anyone who wants to own his/her boutique that, "knowing your market is the most important thing, creating a balance between what you like and think is appropriate and what the customers are looking for”… is key!
Definitely a royal
I had the pleasure to meet Amanda Doumato back in 2012, as a student visiting her shop on a industry field trip (Program hosted by the retail lab course at Johnson & Wales University for fashion majors). I usually follow my intuition, that's definitely something you should know about me. I knew the second I left Flaunt Boutique that very first time I had to be a part of her team.
Until my next topic...
XOXO
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© 2015 Gloria Isabel Nieto