A photo of a holiday greeting card arrives in the mail and arrives at your office desk in a frame depicting children in cute clothes purchased from one of Dallas' fastest-growing e-commerce retailers.
Classic Whimsy was founded in Dallas in 2010 as Smocked Auctions and has forged a path to growth. Over the years, we have officially changed our name as a private label brand to better reflect today's wide range of children's wardrobes and accessories.
“We've always had styles other than smocking, but we thought the name Smock Auctions was limiting us,” said Nicole Brewer, the company's founder and president. This company, like many, started out as a company. Brewer couldn't find adorable toddler-sized bubbles with tiny tucks and embroidery stitch patterns for her children. (Her children are now in high school).
Classic Whimsy's staff has doubled to 29 people in five years, and annual sales exceed $20 million, all delivered directly to consumers from its Design District headquarters and warehouse.
Approximately 70% to 80% of our customers are repeat customers. The new mother buys the brand regularly for 3-4 years. For grandma, buy matching pajamas in longer lengths, which are also available in adult sizes up to size 10. As Christmas products are shipped to customers, products with Easter-themed designs are currently arriving in our warehouses.
“Our signature clothing collection helps families celebrate life's special moments in style,” said Brewer. “We ship weekly to all 50 states and Canada.”
Ross Mulford, 34, the company's chief financial officer, said the name change was part of a plan to continue “strong and stable growth.” He has ownership and is also a customer. Mulford and his wife Tori have three children, ages 1, 2, and 3.
Nap mats, hats and sunglasses will be added to the line of dresses, shirts, pants, shorts, sheets, pajamas, swimwear and shoes. Classic Whimsy has a licensing agreement with the university to put its logo on clothing and has something for every holiday on the calendar. More monogramming machines were purchased to meet demand, with 50% of orders requesting personalization.
Mulford said the company is regularly asked by retailers to wholesale their products, but “that's not our business model.”
Our in-house design staff has experience at Neiman Marcus, J.C. Penney and Old Navy, and there is a camaraderie among them. They sit together around a large table with laptops, colored pencils, and sketchbooks, constantly collaborating.
Since 2020, we've sold over 2 million items with an average price of $30 to $35 and an average order value of over $80. High-end children's clothing at bargain prices.
Girls' dresses sold by Classic Whimsy range in price from $32.99 to $39.99, while comparable items are sold at children's boutiques for $80 to $100.
Brewer has built long-term relationships with factories in India, China, and Vietnam, as well as an embroidery team in El Salvador. She Brewer originally entered the cottage industry of women, where she could take care of children while staying at home smocking. All other stages of the business (design, marketing, customer service, fulfillment, customization) are done in-house.
“We're not paying a lot of money to a middleman, and we're very detail-oriented,” Brewer said. Richardson-based Metropak makes distinctive gingham shipping bags.
Mulford comes from an entrepreneurial family in Dallas. His grandfather was Ross Perot, who founded EDS in 1962 and sold it to General Motors in 1984 after becoming impatient and bored with his job at IBM. His mother is Nancy Perrault, and she was early on aware of the resurgence of bookstores with the opening of Intavan Books in 2017. In Dallas.
He joined Classic Wimsey in April 2020 after working at Petrus, the Perot family's wealth management firm, where he gained experience investing in companies such as Cricut. The maker of cutting machines used by DIY artisans to make and customize products has increased its sales from $50 million in 2013 to more than $800 million. .
Mulford said he joined Classic Wimsey because he saw staff with similar potential and entrepreneurial spirit. He arrives at a critical time as the pandemic begins and the company is adapting to new software systems. Shipping delays resulted in refunds to customers.
“Nicole knew more about the business than anyone I've ever met,” he said. Mr. Brewer always kept cash on hand to use to grow his business and to pay vendors to keep product flowing in the face of problems in his supply chain.
Mulford said the acquisition of Origin Bank in 2020 and expanded lending capacity “enabled us to strengthen and accelerate our growth.”
“We have had the pleasure of watching our clients grow and develop over the past three years. It is always rewarding to see good people turn their dreams into reality and achieve great success. ” said Tyler Mills, senior vice president at Origin Bank.
The Classic Whismy brand started by hosting Facebook auctions and then launched a website using Shopify.
In the past, Brewer said she would photograph all her clothes between 3 and 4 p.m., facing her driveway fence for the best lighting. Part of the white fence is located in the company's photography studio and is still in use. But now, many of the marketing photos are taken with models on Florida beaches.
Mulford's desk is in an empty corner of the warehouse. He focuses on systems and making sure the product is constantly evolving. Additionally, warehouse staff are the first to know what's not working.
He said warehouses are often full-staff, and that's when marketing, customer service and designers are known to step up. One of the things Mulford did after his arrival was update employee benefits.
“Ross brought the expertise we needed: the fundamentals of thinking, planning and executing. He helped us stick to the plan,” Brewer said.
Mulford said his goal when he joined the company was 2030, not 2021. “It's about becoming the dominant e-commerce company,” he said.
“When I go to my friends' houses, I see pictures of children wearing our clothes on the walls,” he said. “What's really fun is asking the moms at the pool if they bought their kids' swimsuits at Smocked Her Auction.
“They looked at me and were surprised and said, 'Yes, but how do you know that?'
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