“Having Jack [McCollough] and Lazaro [Hernandez] with us for this special milestone meant so much to me and our clients, many of whom traveled across the country to join us for this occasion,” said Smallwood, referring to Proenza Schouler’s founders and creative directors. “Their collection truly embodies an effortless and subtle luxury that resonates strongly with our clientele.”
Another shop, called James, focuses on women’s shoes including Clergerie, JW Anderson and Ganni. The fourth site, called Small, sells women’s contemporary collections such as Love Shack Fancy, Mara Hoffman and Ulla Johnson. Small is five doors away from the other three storefronts. “One of the greatest things about being in Charleston is that it draws seven million tourists a year,” said Smallwood. “We have a very loyal clientele from all over the country, and we have the opportunity to continually grow. That’s the beauty of it. We have so many different people walking into the door, whether from Canada or Chicago, with different needs. We are constantly meeting new clients. That keeps it interesting and so fun from me.
The website two weeks ago added “Try Now,” a feature that enables shoppers to have a trial period to touch, feel, and try on items at home. When the trial ends, items that didn’t work out are returned and shoppers pay only for the items they want to keep. The feature allows shoppers to try on up to eight items.
“Everyone is on a salary. We are genuinely here to help service the customer,” said Smallwood. “We really home in on creating a buy based on what customers will like and also taking risks on what we think is important.”