Bar to Boutique: How One CWU Alumna Has Found Success in Entrepreneurship
Story by Madeline Wilson | Photos by Lexi Wicks | Design by Lisa Zhu
It’s like a bright, clean oasis in the middle of rural Ellensburg, WA. From the crisp white walls, to the shiny, welcoming floors, Flirt Boutique is a charming local business … You wouldn’t even know it used to be a bar.
Maren Peterson, CWU Communications alumna and Flirt Boutique business owner explains, one of the biggest compliments she receives from her most recent business venture is about her unique flooring.
But the sanctuary that is Flirt did not appear overnight; from long nights of painting to the hours of picking clothing, Maren has accomplished the unthinkable at the ripe age of 27.
An Entrepreneurial Spirit
Yet, her story does not start as a college grad; she says, she has had the drive to be in business and entrepreneurship since working with her mom at previous boutiques. “I’ve always thought entrepreneurship would be in my future somehow, [however], I did not know that I would go into fashion like my mom,” she explains.
Even some of her mentors could identify that she had the capabilities to be successful in this industry. “She has such an adventurous, entrepreneurial spirit anyways that it's no surprise to me that she would go into this area,” says Arrington Stoll, professor of Communication Arts at Valdosta State University and former professor of Communications at CWU.
The drive and passion in Maren has been evident to many of her friends and family. Brianne Bennett, close friend of Maren’s and former Ellensburg resident, explains, “Maren has always had such an entrepreneurial spirit so I knew that eventually she was going to do something where she could spread her wings.”
She adds, “I never saw her working in the corporate world working for someone. I was not surprised at all when she told me that she was opening a Flirt location back up in Ellensburg.”
With so many others recognizing the desire and readiness for Maren to become an entrepreneur, it was only a matter of time before she was able to take off on her own.
Maren has been involved with the fashion industry for many years, she explains, starting with her mom’s previous ownership of Flirt Boutique. “Fashion is something I have done my whole life … It’s always something I’ve worked in because my mom started stores when I was 12.”
Her mom had worked interior design previously but “began Flirt in 2007. I love Ellensburg and knew it was the perfect place to begin my dream of owning a clothing company,” says Mia Peterson, Maren’s mom and owner of the Pullman location of Flirt Boutique.
Because fashion has been a part of Maren’s life for many years, it was a natural fit when she wanted to start her own business.
“It’s something I know how to do well and for my first step into owning a business, I feel like it was a smart move and kind of a little less risk,” Maren says. “It would have been way too overwhelming for me, honestly, to learn a completely new industry and start a business by myself.”
While the two may have different leadership styles and skills, Maren has learned about the industry through these experiences. “They have some strong similarities; they have some strong differences too,” says Jodi Musser, longtime mentor of Maren and professor of Business Marketing and Family and Consumer Sciences Career & Technical Education.
“I respect both of them and how they run their business … I do think they run things differently from one another but I 100 percent agree that Maren just absorbed all of it from her mom growing up in that environment. She learned so much by just observing,” Musser adds.
While Mia was able to guide Maren through the process, the opening of Flirt in Ellensburg was spearheaded by Maren’s skills and ability to work independently.
She says, “I’m super grateful because my mom’s been there when I needed her to but she also just really wanted me to gain the confidence of ‘you can do this on your own.’ She’s really stepped back [and] I feel like we’ve actually learned to problem solve with each other better and in a more peaceful manner than maybe mother-daughter’s usually would.”
With a combination of hands-on experiences with her mom and her own budding style of leadership, Maren was a natural for this new venture.
Finishing Her Education
Before Maren came back to school in 2019 to finish her degree, she explains, she had returned to the fashion realm to help her mom for a short period at the Pullman Flirt. “I had managed for her and had a really successful term of managing her stores. We had our most successful fiscal year for Flirt history,” Maren says.
“That put a boost in my sales and gave me confidence to go back and complete school and be a good student.”
She had realized her passions again and it was time to put in the work to get her through the next phase of life — college. Being a part of the Communications Department gave her many of the skills and mentors needed to be successful.
“They were just extremely helpful and [were] building up my confidence in myself and just being really supportive of me and my peers,” Maren explains.
But she also had a hand in her relenting success as a student. “Her work was almost flawless because she had paid such a high attention to detail. She was [constantly] asking questions and it just immediately made her stand out,” explains Stoll.
She adds, “Working with her solidifies for me, why I went into this career. She is interested in the field and she just takes the knowledge and goes with it.”
Even though Maren explains, college was not as easy for her because she preferred hands-on experience to lectures and PowerPoints, her education was an important step for her. While being a student may be a difficult period for some, there are ways to be successful after graduating, even during a pandemic.
One of the benefits Maren attributes to being in business is that she can learn something new every day. “The constant learning experience and the constant growth that comes with it — good, bad and ugly.”
She adds, “Sometimes you realize some things that you really don’t love about yourself and you can either let that defeat you and take you down and beat yourself up about it or you can be like ‘ok, this is an area now that I can focus my attention [on] and grow more.’”
There are always ups and downs to any new venture but having the ability to grow can be an important factor in the journey.
Community Connections
One of the positives to opening a small business in Ellensburg, even during the pandemic, is the support of the community.
Maren explains, there was a major component of community support with the opening of her store, especially during the build-out. “People just from out of the woodworks that I hadn’t heard from in a while or just old friendships [helped]. That was super fulfilling and it created that sense of ‘ok, I made the right decision,’” she says.
People from all areas of Maren’s life, including Musser’s family and other friends, were able to join in on the renovations.
“For a long time, especially in your younger adult life, you don’t really feel that sense of grounding. I was really craving that in my next step forward in my life, post-college,” says Maren. A part of building this community was working to create an environment that worked for her employees.
Valarie Wilson, sales associate and stylist at Flirt Boutique, says, “[Maren’s] a very hardworking, straightforward boss. I love that about her … She's also very caring and wants to make the workspace special and warming and just a really good environment.”
Wilson adds, “She's good at that, too; you have a boss whose straightforward [and] expects things from you and will keep you accountable, but is also somebody that cares and wants to get to know you more and wants to be sure that you like the job [and] that you're enjoying working there.”
While it can be fun to be in a leadership position, there are some struggles that can come along with it.
Bennett explains, “Managing several people is very difficult. I feel like it's not noted as much as how difficult that can be … and I have seen her handle situations and just grow again, professionally, so much.”
Because Maren cares about and has a passion for her work, these qualities are able to translate through her leadership as a business owner.
Maren’s Hidden Talent
While Maren had been involved with Flirt previously, she wanted to take the store in a new direction, especially inviting a new type of audience.
When she stepped into her new role, one of the first areas that needed change was their social media. “I really [wanted] to change our marketing and our social media … We are a one stop-shop for mother, daughter [and] grandmother but our marketing [wasn’t] displaying that,” Maren explains.
Changing the messaging behind the social media and marketing was her step toward creating a more inclusive environment for the clientele of Ellensburg. She explains, the previous marketing “gave people the idea that [you] had to be young and [you] had to be petite to shop at Flirt.”
Mia adds that because of the changes Maren has made to this area of the business, she “has really polished up our brand.”
However, she began to change the narrative of the store starting not only with social media but also with her buying process.
Maren says, “Getting back to the basics is at the core of my buying concept, especially in a small town. We are not super dressy over here and we don’t have a greek system that has events that they need to get dresses for and heels for.”
Being able to recognize her audience’s needs was a necessary step for Maren.
Keira Grech, owner of Keira Grech Design Company in Ellensburg and business neighbor to Flirt, adds, “I can see from the outside, how hard she has worked to bring in items that appeal to ‘today’s shoppers,’ whether it’s cute and comfy loungewear or classic pieces that someone can add to a casual work from home outfit or build into a professional ensemble if they are going into the office.”
Because Ellensburg has a different audience than the Pullman store, some changes needed to be made to the clothing sold. “[Maren] knows her clientele aren’t just college-aged girls. She wants to meet the needs of a variety of women in town and I think she’s doing a good job of that,” says Musser.
She adds, “It's really hard to own a clothing store and not buy just what you love. You’ve got to buy what everybody loves.”
The pandemic has made this process more difficult but Maren’s unique philosophy on buying has allowed her to find the pieces that are right for her store.
“Buying was a bit challenging but sticking to brands I know rather than trying to branch out to ones that I don’t was probably the best tactic until I could go to a live market. Really keeping in mind an affordable price point, everything in our store is under $100 and I want to keep it that way,” Maren explains.
The pricing and types of products sold at Flirt are what make it unique and inviting to their shoppers.
Becoming an Entrepreneur
You may have read through all of these tidbits about Maren’s success as an entrepreneur and may be doubting that this could be a reality for you because of a variety of reasons. Whether you are worried it’s not a good time to start a new job, you don’t know enough or you don’t have the right degree — throw those worries out because being an entrepreneur can be attainable for you.
One of the first steps to finding out if this field is right for you is determining your goals. Grech says, “My advice for anyone as a budding entrepreneur (myself included), is to figure out what you want from your business, what you are not willing to compromise on and where you’re willing to be flexible.”
Educating yourself can also be important, especially if you still have the opportunity to learn from others with more experience.
“Learn what you can and from your mentors. You have the ability to learn the things that you want to do and the things that you don’t want to do. Learn to manage those different boundaries and skills,” says Stoll.
“You can see what’s effective and not effective in the workplace and can transfer that over into another position as you move on up.”
Also, it can be necessary to not rush your timeline, especially during a pandemic. “Right now for COVID, don’t get discouraged,” says Stoll. “It's not just entry-level people who are having issues out there. There’s tons of companies that are going to go through a lot of changes right now [and] there are going to be people of all ages looking for jobs and with all different degree levels.”
Everyone is dealing with different struggles and many are still looking for their next work opportunity. If you decide that entrepreneurship is the right venture for you, try to work around any of these issues that may arise.
Stoll advises to find what is right for you and follow your passions. “You should find something that you're interested in and makes you happy … you need to find a place that you like getting up and going into work in the morning.”
That is exactly what Maren has found through Flirt. While there is so much that may be unknown for people looking to start a new business right now, Maren posits, “I’ve kind of learned through the pandemic and this whole experience that nothing is really in my control and to just let go and to trust.”
