TWINSBURG, Ohio — For Owner Sarah Coyne, the Strawberry Moon Boutique means everything.
“I’ve been able to get involved in the local community a lot more than I ever have. I’ve lived in Twinsburg for 16 years,” she said. “But I finally have got myself involved in certain community events. I joined the Twinsburg Chamber of Commerce, so I’ve been able to meet a lot of local leaders in the community and just been able to, you know, find new friends, meet new people and have fun while working so that it really has been a dream come true so far.”
Coyne is a former educator who worked as a teacher for six years and a school counselor for 12. In June 2021, she decided to take a leap and opened her business, Strawberry Moon.
“I just did the website sales. I had a couple of pop-up events — one at my home and one at a local restaurant here in Twinsburg,” she said. “And that was super successful, and I kind of realized, OK, I love the retail business. I just hope that I can make an actual storefront work. So, then I found this space and it was a really, really good time for that. So, I kind of jumped in and opened the actual storefront at the end of August.”
While the dream for a storefront came true, she said the effects of inflation became a new obstacle.
“I can see that the cost of the merchandise is rising a little bit for me as the buyer and also shipping rates have definitely got more expensive within the last, really, the last two months. I’ve seen and kind of felt the change in the shift with inflation, especially in the shipping department of the merchandise.”
The Consumer Price Index reported the apparel index rose 1.3% in November of 2021. Coyne said despite uncertain times, she is adjusting to the change.
“You can find a top in my — well, I have a sale closet too, because you can find a top as low as maybe $20 up to 60 to $70. So, I try to keep my ranges as fair as possible, but I definitely have taken into account the shipping inflation when I need to,” she said. “But again, I try to keep prices fair for my customers as well.”
Coyne said she found hosting shopping parties is one way to stay ahead.
“I host groups of ladies, neighborhood ladies and coworkers. They come in, they shop and it’s been so much fun. You know, we can bring food, snacks, drinks and they just kind of relax in here for a couple hours,” she said. “And it’s been it’s been great for me because I’m a social person. So that way I know I’m having people come in, and that’s been very helpful for my business, and I also host the parties as fundraisers. So, I’ve done over six fundraisers so far since I’ve been open.”
Despite what the future may hold, she is looking forward to the years ahead.
“I hope we just continue to grow. You know, we know that inflation has been challenging. We know that COVID has been challenging, but I hope that we can kind of push through that and keep growing and within the community is really important to me,” she said. “So, I hope to get involved even more with fundraising and things like that within the community and just continue to thrive.”
Coyne said the shop also has various gifts and jewelry.
For more information on the shop, click here.
