They showcase fair-trade, eco-friendly products by local artisans
Urban Princess boutique and gift shop in Queen Village overcame a fire that wiped out its inventory more than 2 years ago.
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MARY HARVEY, 43, of Pennsport, and Cindy Ray, 45, of Fairmount, own Urban Princess, a gift shop and boutique on 4th Street near South, in Queen Village. It features clothing, accessories, pottery and other items by more than 70 local artisans. After a fire in April 2013 destroyed their previous shop on 4th Street near Fitzwater, they relocated and started over. I spoke with Harvey.
Q: How'd you come up with the idea?
A: I started a mobile clothing business called Rack and Roll Clothing. Cindy and Ellen Donato, a soapmaker and former business partner, and myself all had traveling boutiques. We went to festivals and street fairs and we'd all set up together. A store made sense so that when we weren't at shows, customers would have a place to come. We came to Fabric Row and there was a niche for a shop with artisan gifts.
Q: How's the biz model work?
A: We're brick-and-mortar and we also do events like wine festivals and house parties. We just pack the store in a van and head out. About 90 percent of the revenues are generated by sales in the shop.
Q: Your customers?
A: If I had money to advertise, I would target men because their wives and girlfriends tell them you can't mess up if you come here. We keep files back here for guys and their wish lists. We also get tourists and people from Queen Village and the surrounding neighborhoods.
Q: What differentiates this shop from others?
A: The local component and all the artisans we work with. We also keep our prices competitive. Many stores like this are either five-and-dime types or expensive, and we're neither. A little less than a third [of sales] is clothing, a third is jewelry and accessories, and the rest is a mishmash between the soap line and household stuff like pottery and gifts.
Q: What's most popular?
A: Stone bridal coasters, or two coasters with a map of Philly for $20, which is probably our No. 1 tourist item. Right now these brass bracelets are our biggest seller. They're $28 to $38 and stamped with emotive rock-music sayings, like "Go Your Own Way" and "Rebel, Rebel." Our rock wine tap is $125 and we can't keep enough of these. We have plenty of $10-to-$20 gifts, but you can also find a $300 handbag or Nicaraguan pottery.
Q: The biggest challenge?
A: We don't sell online and we know we should. There are so many one-of-a-kind things in here, it's difficult. I'm thinking about bringing on an intern to get a website up and running and giving her a percentage of what she can sell.
Online: ph.ly/YourBusiness