ENTREPRENEUR WATCH

Owners of Top Drawer, Deanna Tinios and Deborah Robb. Amy Root-Donle photo

For first-time retail entrepreneurs Deborah Robb and Deanna Tinios, success has come in the form of a proper fit — as in a proper fitting bra, which is no small matter for women for whom improper fitting is an annoying and constant reality.

When they opened Top Drawer, a fine lingerie, apparel and accessories boutique on Water Street in Exeter in April 2005, they had no idea how fast the word-of-mouth network would grow. Suffice to say it grew very fast and generated sales and high reputation returns (and serious media buzz) — enough for them to open a second location in Bedford in 2007.

The pair of working mothers brings a diverse set of talents to the operation. Tinios, a mother of two, had worked in a number of retail environments (from sporting goods to department stores to restaurants) and Robb had worked as a financial researcher in Boston for more than a decade but turned to a more demanding, full-time pursuit: raising her four children, age 4 to 13.

The genesis of Top Drawer came when Robb had yet another unsatisfying shopping trip that included the realization that the fashion trends were those favoring the Victoria Secret set, which does not include most women. What they didn't realize when they started their business, they told Ventures, was that there was a ready-made market to be served. When fitted bra sales became their main revenue generator, they knew they were on to something.

How did you locate a second store in Bedford?

Deanna Tinios: Only months after we opened our store in Exeter, we were approached by our merchant services representative about a location in Bedford that was available at that time. It was a storefront that was owned by and attached to a 7,000-square-foot bridal salon called Modern Bride, located on Route 101 only one mile from the Bedford Village Inn.

Although we were not ready to even consider opening a second location, we kept the information on file. About a year later we started noticing that we had many women visiting our store in Exeter from the Manchester/Nashua/Amherst area. We were surprised that so many women were willing to drive such a distance for our specialized bra-fitting services.

We tracked sales on our POS system using zip codes and realized that Bedford was in the center of the sales activity from that area. (After making the decision to take the space), Brian Fortin, owner of Modern Bride, was thrilled to have a business in the space that would be so complementary to his.

Have you given a thought to franchising?

Deborah Robb: We are open to the aspect of franchising Top Drawer. With that in mind, we have been working hard to fine tune our business model so that we are ready when the right time is at hand.

In order to gain knowledge in this area, we have assisted two other new business owners in other parts of the country start a business similar to ours, so that we have a better understanding of how to structure and support a new store. Both of these businesses have had strong starts and growth.

We have been approached several times by other potential business owners across the country to franchise our concept; however we have been careful not to start this venture until we are fully prepared.

Is a third store in the planning?

DT: As far as a third store, we are always looking at potential locations, the emphasis being on location. We have learned that location is the most important aspect that can make or break your business. We love our Exeter location and consider it home for many reasons, although it would be wonderful if we had a bit more space.

What's been the biggest entrepreneurial lesson you've learned in the past two years?

DR: The biggest lesson learned is to surround yourself with excellent people including a bank that has been a wonderful partner (Ocean National), a talented financial consultant (Kara McGree), a creative PR and advertising consultant (Pam Bates at Speakeasy), a graphic artist (Ocean Graphics), attorney, and wonderful employees.

You have to understand what your strengths and weaknesses are and learn to delegate to those around you what they can accomplish more efficiently and in less time than if you struggled with it. I am not a graphic artist or an accountant. My time is better spent working with my customers or my vendors.

How many employees do you have now and have fast have sales grown?

DT: We have 12 employees at this time. Two of our very talented employees from Exeter moved over to the Bedford store, one of which assumed the position of store manager. Having them at the new store carried over a great deal of knowledge and helped with the training of our new employees.

Sales continue to grow at a steady pace. It only took the Bedford location four months to surpass the Exeter store in monthly sales, something we were not surprised to see.

How do you divide your duties?

DR: Although we effectively can assume all responsibilities, I handle most advertising and AP duties and Deanna handles re-ordering merchandise and many of the personnel issues, including scheduling the employees. We both travel to the trade shows to select and order the merchandise.

How do you build on your knowledge?

DR: When we started our first store in Exeter three years ago, we had no idea how fast our business would grow. At times the challenge was keeping up with the growth. We were very conservative in all areas, which worked to our advantage.

With the first store we kept our build-out costs very low. We learned that you do not have to spend a fortune to make an attractive/functional space.

DT: When opening our second store, we knew more what to expect and were able to use that knowledge to our advantage. We spent over a year planning our second store and fine-tuning the business plan.

We hired a designer to help us plan the space more efficiently and cost effectively. Although the Bedford store has a very luxurious feel to it, we were able to stay within a set budget and still achieve the look and space that we wanted to have for our customers.

We understand that our business is customer-service driven, and that is what separates us from the department stores.

We opened our Bedford store with a six-month advertising plan in place, which was done to effectively mass market our name and services to the Bedford/Nashua/Amherst/Manchester/Concord area. This plan has proved very effective.