Retail Revolution

Local stores are bringing a pop-up attitude to a personal setting.

- Lauren Bell

Christie Griffiths starts her day by checking her phone. And then she checks it again. While her behavior might not sound that different from any other millennial, she is actually working—obsessively monitoring the social media accounts associated with her store, Brightside Boutique. “I’m on my phone constantly; it just never ends,” says Griffiths, who opened her store in 2011. “I’m always apologizing to everyone I know, but if you want to have a successful business you have to do it.” In the world of retail, gone are the days of just sitting behind a cash register and throwing together a window display.

Owning and operating a store now demands that you are in constant contact with your customers, which means meeting them exactly where they are physically and digitally. Griffiths—who opened her third Brightside in Hampden in March— has mastered the delicate balance of reaching a wide swath of customers while also keeping her service very personalized.

“It’s important to know your customer,” Griffiths says. “I know it sounds weird but I know how my shopper talks, I know how she thinks, I know where she is going this weekend, and so does my staff.”