NEW BUSINESS
Local resident plans to open boutique
After completing the Capital Region Chamber’s Entrepreneur Boot Camp training course, local business owner Carla Peckage is preparing to launch OSAY Boutique.
The business, set to debut within the next few weeks, will start as an online store featuring women’s clothing, accessories, and more.
The boutique’s name, OSAY, stands for “only stylish as you.”
Beyond the e-commerce component of the business, Peckage aims to open her boutique in a brick and mortar location on Broadway in Saratoga Springs in 2021.
Starting a boutique is a big step for Peckage, a first-time business owner pursuing a longtime dream. “I always loved fashion, I always wanted to open up my own business, but I just needed that extra push and the extra resources to do it,” she said.
The local resident, an Amsterdam native who moved to Saratoga Springs in 2003, has held a career in corporate medical sales for the past 17 years.
“It’s been so great for me, but I just feel like I’m missing out on something,” Peckage said, eager to enter the entrepreneurial world.
When a coworker informed her about the Entrepreneur Boot Camp - a 10-week, 60-hour training course is specially designed for starting and growing businesses - Peckage decided to sign up for the spring session.
Though the course was forced to transition from in-person to virtual classes due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Peckage said
“Because of her passion, drive, and attention to detail, I’m confident her new fashion boutique will be a huge success.”
— Laura Mann, vice president of business growth at the Capital Region Chamber
it was a
“I wouldn’t have gotten, I think, to where I am now if I didn’t take the boot camp class,” Peckage said, noting the connections she made through the program.
Along with successfully completing the course, Peckage won a thirdplace prize of two classes from MicroKnowledge and a three-credit class of choice from SUNY Schenectady County Community College.
Program leaders like Laura Mann, vice president of business growth at the Capital Region Chamber, found Peckage to be an outstanding participant. “Carla embodies what it means to be an entrepreneur, she said. “Throughout the Chamber’s Entrepreneur Boot Camp, I witnessed her consistent dedication valuable experience. to her business and willingness to take advantage of every opportunity that was offered to her through the training.
“Because of her passion, drive, and attention to detail, I’m confident her new fashion boutique will be a huge success and I can’t wait to experience it and shop there myself.”
The mission statement Peckage created for her business states: “OSAY has a passion for fashion that is unique and fun while always putting customers first and bringing you the latest trends to feel confident every day.”
A lifelong fashion-lover, Peckage enjoys the boutique shopping experience of discovering different brands with unique products, while sharing personal interactions with helpful shop staff members.
“That’s what I wanted to bring to Saratoga,” she said.
OSAY Boutique will carry “a little bit of everything,” Peckage said, mentioning items like OSAY-branded clothing, leather goods by socially conscious give-back brand Half United, denim by California-based company Letters To Juliet and a line of skincare products.
“Every woman has their own style, and OSAY is just here to show you the latest trends that are out there,” Peckage said.
OSAY is also working with a manufacturer in Italy for private labeling.
Peckage chose the Spa City for her business because she thought it would be the perfect place for the boutique’s desired foot traffic and target audience. “I just love Broadway,” Peckage said. “I think it’s just a great community.”
While Saratoga Springs has other boutiques, Peckage believes there is still a need for a store that presents products by additional new, up and coming designers.
The number of stores in the downtown district makes it a shopping destination, among other factors that make the city a destination. Peckage said, “All of these stores offer something different, so when people come here, they come to shop.”
Originally, Peckage wanted to open her brick and mortar store first, but changed plans because of the pandemic. “Now my focus is to go online, get my name and my brand out there,” she said.
Peckage said the situation brought on by COVID-19 actually helped her take the business to the next level by allowing her more time to focus and research.
As other boutiques have been pivoting to online business during the pandemic, Peckage thinks it’s beneficial that OSAY is starting online at this time.