In September 1987, Maria Luisa Whittingham opened a small boutique on the ground floor of a mini-mall on South Broadway in Nyack. Thirty-five years later, Maria Luisa Boutique continues to offer a fashionable inventory that is ethically sourced and verified as either Fair Trade or sustainable merchandise.
“I”™ve always loved color,” said Whittingham in recalling how she made the transition from designer to entrepreneur. “I envisioned beautiful things, aesthetically natural fibers.”
Whittingham credited her mother, who worked as a seamstress, in giving her a full appreciation of clothing design.
“I grew up picking up her scraps and making things early on, just sewing things together,” she said. “And this was something I”™ve always wanted to do. I started at F.I.T. and graduated from the design program, and I went back for marketing. It”™s a field that has always been in my blood.”
Whittingham initially planned her business focus to be in wholesaling, but transitioned into retail, which she described as a “real learning experience” that required her to adapt to a public-facing persona.
“It was a sink or swim, in a way, becoming more outgoing and a little more in conversation than I might, as I am a more introverted person,” she explained. “But that doesn”™t work in retail. And I began to be more communicative and outspoken.”
Indeed, Whittingham found herself taking on the roles of community leader ”” she co-founded Nyack Merchants United, a grassroots business organization, and in 2015 she launched the Maria Luisa Annual Scholarship Fund, which has awarded $14,000 to students since 2015. She has received numerous awards from both Nyack and Rockland County for her encouragement and support of women”™s business in general and Latina-owned business in particular.
Whittingham originally created her own product line, but now she sources goods from Fair Trade suppliers.
“When I shop for product, I want to know more about who makes it and what the conditions are,” she said, noting that her focus is not just on ensuring the artisans work in safe environments for proper wages, but that the suppliers are “also assisting these communities” from a business training and quality of life consideration.
Whittingham added that her store, which is located at 77 S. Broadway, has not been as severely impacted by the supply chain hiccups that have challenged other retailers.
“We don”™t buy a lot of bulk from China or that sort of thing,” she stated. “That being said, a lot of the components are still coming from there. So yes, there have been some disruptions, but not at the level of a big-box company because we”™re working with smaller manufacturers.”
“I learned to maneuver and just buy more often smaller quantities to always have some newness and enough to sell without committing the way we used to, where it was months and months in advance throughout every category,” she added. “Prices have gone up ”” I would say a lot of our costs have gone from 10% to 15%, in some cases 20%, and we”™ve had to deal with that.”
As for her near-future, Whittingham is optimistic.
“I feel good,” she said. “We”™re growing again and we can grow smoother. One problem that I hope changes in the next year is that it”™s been very difficult to find employees to work on the retail. I”™m working with a few really good employees and going out of my way to recruit people on a part-time basis. I have my very tight little team and it”™s wonderful.”
