A business gamble that continues to pay off

Thirty years ago, Tami Conard started TLC Casuals, a woman’s boutique that’s still going strong with locations in Sheboygan and the Shops of Cedar Creek Settlement in Cedarburg.

The decision to branch out and start her own shop was, Conard said, fraught.

“It is the scariest thing,” she said. “I didn’t sleep, I think, for a year thinking, ‘What did I do?’”

What she and her husband Steve did was bet on her, and it’s a bet that has paid off in spades.

TLC Casuals — the name comes from Conard’s initials — has been a success, a venture built off Conard’s years of experience.

She got her toes wet in the clothing business working at Maurice’s, then ran the shop at the Sports Core in Kohler.

It was, Conard said, trial by fire.

“They said, ‘Here’s your desk. You’re going on a buying trip next week,’” she said. “I learned by the seat of my pants.”

After 12 years, in 1996, she had built a following when she saw some new shops being built on the lakefront in a shanty-type building.

“I knew as soon as I saw it I had to be there,” Conard said.

Initially she rented the front portion of a storefront, eventually expanding into the back of the store as well.

Over time, she decided to expand, first moving to Port Washington, where her shop shared space with a beauty salon, and later to Cedarburg.

“My husband and I went to a festival here and I knew I had to come here,” Conard said.

She knew the owners of the well-known woman’s store Alston’s and talked to them about the move, adding she even considered buying that shop when the owners retired but ultimately decided to continue on her own.

She occupied several different spaces in Cedarburg before settling in at her current storefront on the first floor of the Settlement.

Her mission, Conard said, is to help women find clothes that make them happy.

“A lot of our customers, this is their time. Most of them aren’t happy with their bodies. They want to feel good about themselves,” she said.

It helps, she said, that she loves to shop.

“I love clothing, and I love shopping,” she said. “My mom loves to shop. I have two sisters and that’s what we did, we shopped,. I went on and had three girls, and we love to shop.”

They all help with the store, Conard said, making it  a true family affair.

The key to success, Conard said, is multi-pronged.

She does a lot of fashion shows, bringing offerings from her shop to clubs, women’s groups and senior living facilities, and also creates booths at events such as the Christmas market at the Osthoff in Elkhart Lake.

“My job is to bring it out to the public and make them aware of what we have,” she  said. “That’s what you have to do, let them know you’re there.”

When she buys for the shop, Conard added, she doesn’t necessarily look for things she likes. She keeps the customer in mind, buying what they like.

“When I buy, I have people in mind,” she said, adding she often will send photos to specific customers as well as posting daily on Facebook and Instagram to get people excited.

“People love to see that,” she said. “I know what people are looking for. I have customers who will say, ‘My niece is getting married in May, start looking for me.’

“Then, after the wedding, they will bring in the pictures and we get to be part of that. It’s nice. You have to create those relationships.”

She carries one line, Parsley and Sage, whose owner will create pieces in extra sizes for her shops and looks forward to the feedback from her customers, Conard said.

“We like to carry designers that aren’t everywhere, that you don’t see everywhere,” she said. “It’s more unique then.”

Conard said her staff also does a good job of displaying clothing and keeping those displays fresh so customers always see something new when they come in.

“They have a great eye,” she said.

And for 30 years, Conard has kept that up, bringing customers the casual but fashionable styles they love.

“I think the key is just being there to help people, building the business for all these years and getting to know people, doing the fashion shows,” she said. “They know what they’re going to find here.”

Conard describes the clothes she sells as casual resort wear, noting many of the pieces can be worn in virtually any situation, noting that most people work in places where casual wear is welcome.

And while some people have predicted the end of retail stores in the age of online shopping, Conard doesn’t see that happening.

“People still want to try clothes on and not have to send things back all the time,” she said. “We’re seeing more and more women getting away in groups — wine and dine, girls getaway weekends, times when they get away and shop as part of that. People still enjoy shopping.”