EYE FOR STYLE
Brianne Conley celebrates success of No. 14 boutique
When Brianne Conley opened the No. 14 boutique in Lawrenceville in 2014, she was told the neighborhood was going to be the “next up-and-coming place.”
Nearly 10 years later, Conley is happy she took a chance on Lawrenceville.
Conley said her business was welcomed with open arms, providing a breath of fresh air compared to the previous tenant, a bar that had been associated with numerous police encounters.
“It definitely wasn’t a healthy environment,” she said.
In 2022, Butler Street and Penn Avenue were home to 250 locally owned businesses, according to a report from the Lawrenceville Corporation.
“Lawrenceville is going to champion a small business no matter what,” Conley said.
The Wexford native and her mother opened the store at 4601 Butler St. when she was 22 years old, shortly after graduating with a degree in strategic communications from High Point University in North Carolina.
Conley pitched a business plan to her parents, Ned and Michelle, who purchased and rehabbed the building with the intention of renting out the first floor as the storefront. But even before the boutique’s conception, championing small businesses was etched in their family fabric.
Her father is the owner of a tax accounting firm, where he also advises small businesses.
“My dad has definitely taught me work ethic more than anything. No one works harder than him,” Conley said. “And no one works harder than a small business owner.”
Walking into No. 14 (www.no14boutique.com) customers are greeted with a bright, clean environment. Colorful dresses and blouses hang on racks in stark contrast to the white brick walls. Bottoms sit folded on tables in the store’s center, organized around an array of accessories.
From casual loungewear to elevated attire for special occasions, there’s something for every prospective customer.
“I really try to envision who our girl is, who’s shopping with us, where they’re wearing [it] and what they’re doing every day,” Conley said. “I definitely feel like I know those several little scenarios that they’re always shopping for.”
By the end of March, the store was packed with spring essentials — ruffled, floral-adorned dresses, white eyelet blouses, denim shorts and light sweaters.
Conley considers her target audience to be young professionals, but she hopes to cultivate a space that’s conducive for every woman at any age by prioritizing timeless pieces and elevated basics.
Most items range from $70-$100. The accessory assortment adds a youthful, feminine flair to the store, complete with strawberry-shaped claw clips and chunky, heart-shaped earrings.
While the boutique gets shipments of clothing every week, Conley is not in the business of chasing the ever-changing trend cycle. The boutique sets itself apart from the mainstream fashion market by championing clothing that’s made to last, rather than marketing the next hot microtrend on TikTok.
If Conley were to describe the story’s aesthetic in three words it would be “modern, classic, refined.”
While the store is growing in its commercial space, it’s also reaching new heights online.
On social media, Conley regularly takes the store’s 80.6K Instagram followers on a behind-the-scenes day in her life. In her videos, she shows the store’s growing social media following what’s new, while also sharing the nitty gritty labor that goes into running a small business.
The store’s social media strategy has been so successful that it has tripled its following in the last two months, Conley said.
In the comments section, the boutique routinely is asked about international shipping from users in Australia, Qatar, Canada and other countries.
While Pittsburgh is not known for its fashion, small businesses like No.14 help champion the Steel City’s style.
“I can’t tell you how many times we’ve [heard] ‘people in Pittsburgh just don’t dress like this,’ ” Conley said. “We have 10 years of business to prove that they do.”