The Swampscott resident and Sloan School grad recently launched an online company that markets specialty boutiques.
F From SwampScott Patch
Colleen King, 26, traces the roots of
her start-up to afternoons bouncing in and out of boutiques as a Georgetown
University undergrad.
She cultivated her online boutique
platform idea in two years studying for an MBA at MIT’s Sloan School.
The
June grad then uncorked Local
Hem in a September
launch. “We’ve tried to create this little world of specialty boutiques,” said
King. The Swampscott resident has several specialty boutiques in her e-commerce
collection. These are small stores, with a physical location. Among them is She
Boutique, in downtown Marblehead.
King wants to boost their prospects by
giving them a quality online place to showcase their quality goods. Sellers
can get lost in the wilderness of large online markets, she said. King also
wants shoppers to find that unique pair of shoes, blouse or bag that rouses
interest.
“The thing I hope is for people to say,
‘Where did you get that?’” she said. King said fellow MIT students are no
strangers new ideas. A friend started up a company looking to shrink the size
of transformers for electronic devices. King wants to expand the size of the
market for small boutiques.
Several of her sellers sold items
immediately after localhem’s launch. Fast sales were surprising and gratifying,
she said. The challenge will be competing in a flooded online market that
includes huge retailers that can slash prices. Her idea is to compete on
quality. She still has big dreams even if it is for small specialty shops. How
many? “One hundred boutiques and a million shoppers,” she said.