Lauren Smoot, owner of Greencastle’s local boutique Cricket’s, cannot be more ecstatic with the success of her new clothing establishment, located at 110 S. Vine Street.
Smoot was born and raised the city of Greencastle with her three sisters. After going to college and living away from home for five years, she got married and had a daughter. With her husband traveling for work every week, they realized the importance of living close to an airport. Moving back to Greencastle provided that necessity, with an airport 40 minutes away. As a plus, they were able to be close to Smoot's parents and grandmother.
Smoot recalls having fun when shopping with her grandparents as a child. She wants to recreate those memories for others with the opening of her store.
“When I was growing up some of my best memories would be going shopping and spending the day with my grandma and then coming back home and showing our grandpa everything," she said. “When I was a little girl we had a lot of stores downtown...we had a Maurice’s, a really cool bead shop, there was a lot more to do downtown." Smoot thought the best way to bring back those childhood memories would be to open up her own boutique.
When creating the store, Smoot was invested in selling quality clothes that people will truly enjoy "with a more friendly price tag.” She began her business by hosting trunk shows in her sisters' homes and online. Not long after, and with the help of a local banker and the support of family members, she had the property and building in her hands.
The name of the boutique is no mishap.
“The store is called Cricket’s because that's what my grandma used to call me when growing up," Smoot said. "She had nicknames for all of her grandchildren. Some of them were bizarre, but they always stemmed from a certain memory she had with us. When I was a child, I used to rub my feet together when I slept and so that's why she started calling me cricket.”
Smoot hopes to help create the same lasting memories for other individuals, families and her own daughter.
“I have a four year old, she loves being at the shop, making the packages, handing them over the counter, she loves to shop in the store," she said. She let out a small exhale followed by a soft smile. “For me, I just really want her to know that if she wants to do something she can do it.”
Smoot enjoys that her dream shop has turned into a family business.
“It's been really fun doing it all together," she said. “My husband is a great sport. If I can't be there he's done the shop several times and my mom likes to be in the store and helps out with the guests and get inventory out on the floor.”
Word of mouth and customers who have “liked” various accounts of social media pages have been the main methods of advertisement for the boutique thus far. Smoot confidently says the store “Will get where it needs to be in its own time. We’ve already had such a great response, plus a part of me likes the nostalgia of the ‘word of mouth’ type of thing- it gives people the possibility to interpret the store for themselves.”
Other than family involvement, Lauren employs only two other people: DePauw sophomore Jessica Arington and senior Madison Manning.
“They live in sororities so that is helpful too [for advertising],” Smoot said. “I don't want people to think it's so in their face… in my eyes it's been a unique experience for different types of people and that's been very special for me to watch.”
Overcoming numerous stigmas of being just a ‘college girl boutique’ has been a primary focus.
“It's a line that we balance really well. I want people to feel like this is a place where you can come in and get something for yourself, a friend, your grandma...I don't want it to feel like, okay I’m only going to be able to go in and get a skater skirt and a tank top,” she said, proudly giggling. “Two weeks ago I had a 90-year-old who bought 12 things for herself!”
Quality of merchandise is a must at Cricket’s.
“Boutique brand clothing is so different. It's about finding what works for people around here,” she said. “I want to make sure people have great quality clothing. It's something I’m still trying to figure out.”
To ensure that she is creating quality clothing, Smoot goes to markets to get a physical feel for the clothing instead of simply looking online. She doe not feel comfortable holding any clothing that she hasn’t personally approved of.
Smoot is happy with where she is and how her dream boutique has been evolving.
“I want people to feel like each time they come back they can be like ‘hey Lauren, can you grab me this’ and I totally would," she said. "That’s my dream, to know that they can just call out from the dressing room to me.”
Customer service is key to her work ethic.
“[I] check in with people when they come into the store," she said. "You need to make people feel valued because they are… it's what we've tried to create.”
Smoot is thrilled with the amount of positive feedback Cricket’s has received, but Smoot continues to aim high with her goals for the store.
“[My goal is] to have an online presence, but we just don't have the inventory right now and I would not be able to give the kind of guest satisfaction that I’m comfortable with,” she said. "My dream would be to be big enough to where we would need a larger warehouse location and all my sisters could move back here and we could work together!”
Cricket’s is having a $10, $20, $30 sale from noon-6 p.m. this Saturday, where people can catch some of their favorite pieces for less than the original price.