Pretty woman | A conversation with Erike McCauley, founder of SEA in York Beach
Founded: December 2007
Employees: 10 part-time
Start-up costs: $200,000
Projected revenue, year one: $100,000
Projected revenue, year two: $150,000-$200,000
Contact: 361-6500
2 Beach St., York Beach 03910
www.mynecessaryluxuries.com
What is SEA?
SEA is a women’s boutique that focuses on higher-end products. We focus on skin care and cosmetics, plus-size clothing and primarily New England-made, handmade accessories. [A typical client is] the 30-plus female, late 30’s and older, the “alpha-woman,” as I like to call her. She’s more mature, not just age-wise, but also maturity-level wise. She knows what she wants, she doesn’t mind paying for good quality. You know she’s not going to be the big box store clothing type of woman, even in this economic crisis.
When did you decide to start your own business?
About two and a half years ago somebody came to me and said we really need to bring a cosmetic line to the area, to York Beach, and I thought about it and said, “Yeah, that’s a good idea.” And so [my husband and I] thought about it and thought about it and we started pulling that together last summer and realized there was such a need for it that it had to be its own business; it had to be its own year-round location. My husband and I, we took all our savings and we’re doing it ourselves.
Why locate SEA in the Atlantic House hotel?
Well, first of all, it’s the location. It’s right in downtown Short Sands York Beach and not only is there a lot of tourist trade in the summer, but it’s an area that’s being built up to a year-round business area. My husband and I have a lot of emotional ties to York Beach, but if you’ve ever been to the area it absolutely rolls up its sidewalks in November and the place becomes a ghost town until April.
In the past few years, more and more places have been opening longer — you know, for the year. And I felt that this was a great opportunity, not only to open a year-round business, but in this area, in this specific area, there are absolutely no clothing stores. There are no higher-end boutiques that offer clothing, specifically plus-size clothing, at all.
What’s been your biggest challenge?
People not knowing we’re there. As much advertising as we’re doing, the town isn’t allowing us the proper signage, so there aren’t a lot of signs and that’s why we’re relying so much on word-of-mouth. [We also do] a lot of radio commercial advertising.
Since opening SEA, you’ve opened a second business and you plan to soon open a third. Why open these businesses one after another?
Call it crazy. No, it was a good opportunity, they’re all in the same building. I’ve gotten to know the owners really well over the past eight to 12 months and they’ve given me an opportunity that I just can’t refuse. I’m lucky enough that my husband knows my drive; he knows the ideas I have are great ideas and he knows they fill a niche in the area.
[The second business] YorKids is a children’s boutique focusing on sizes preemie to fourteen. It’s higher-end children’s clothing. It’s all machine-washable clothing but there’s a lot of organic linen, organic cotton. It sounds really expensive but it’s not, most of our pieces average between $25 and $35. [The third business is] actually a spa, and being a makeup artist I deal with skin and skincare and skin issues so often that it really goes hand in hand. You can’t have a great makeup application if you don’t have good skin, or at least a good skincare routine.
What are your future plans for SEA and your other businesses?
Well I’m going to be focusing on these three, obviously, over the next year. There is another building in town, really right across the street, that is being rehabbed, gutted and renovated by the same owners of the building I’m currently in. So we’re hoping the new building is going to be ready for Memorial Day next year and both SEA and the children’s boutique will be moving across the street and will be a little bit larger than they are now, and that’s what we’re waiting for. I promised my husband and myself that I wouldn’t do any more until that happens.
Interview by Stephen Doane
New Entrepreneurs profiles young businesses, 6-18 months old. Send your suggestions and contact information to editorial@mainebiz.biz.
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