Young Entrepreneur Series: Shopping local in style

Sometimes venturing out of your comfort zone can really pay off, as proven by one of Kelowna’s longtime young entrepreneurs.

Erin Zimmer, owner and operator of Man + Woman, has been in retail with her husband Scott for over 20 years.

When she moved to Kelowna from Fort St. John at the age of 18, he owned Below the Belt in the Orchard Park Shopping centre and she began working there as a salesperson.

The pair settled down, had two kids, and eventually, Zimmer was ready for a change.

"We had this idea, this concept, that Kelowna needed something different,” she said. “We needed something that was not a chain store, something that offers both men and women something."

“We wanted a lifestyle concept so it was really important for us to have that feeling. Kind of like our home.”

In true form, when you walk into Man + Woman, you’ll find good music, candles burning, personalized decor and furniture, and of course, clothing.

The couple came up with the idea about five years ago and Zimmer said it’s taken some time to create traction within the community.

"People are coming back to us and loving that we're something different so it's exciting now."

A month before the grand opening of Man + Woman, Scott was offered a job as the full time sales representative for Silver Jeans Canada. From that point on, Zimmer has been unexpectedly heading up the new store on her own.

Zimmer said she has put a lot of emphasis on training employees to make sure they stand out, by offering a high standard of customer service. She tells them to focus on being stylists over salespeople.

"I love the interaction. To be able to offer something to someone, have them revamp their wardrobe and then have them leave feeling amazing is probably what gets me most excited,” she said. "People are super stoked about it and we often get calls or messages over social media asking for certain sales people and that's pretty cool."

When it comes to being a young entrepreneur, Zimmer has quite a bit of experience. Over the years, she said the trend has definitely picked up in Kelowna.

"It was kind of scary in the beginning to be completely honest because five years ago there wasn't as many little independent shops in Kelowna so I feel like the community is really blossoming,” she said. "I feel like there is a little bit more support for each other (now), which I love."

“We are all about locals supporting local.”

When it comes to supporting local, Man + Woman teams up with other Okanagan businesses for collabs, photo shoots, fashion shows and more.

They brought in Okanagan Lifestyle clothing right before Christmas, which she said has unsurprisingly been a hit.

"It was going to be a great collab for us because they were such a good fit. We're a lifestyle store and they're a lifestyle brand and they're local and they're lovely so it was a perfect fit.”

In the store, they also sell some local jewelry lines and Okanagan Candle Co. candles.

"Anytime someone comes to us with something, we'll most likely give it a go.”

As for next steps, Zimmer said they are hoping to expand, but their love for the Okanagan is holding that back.

"We wanted to open a new location and just thinking of a different location has been so extremely difficult,” she said. “It's either way too small or way to big and I feel like Kelowna is like that perfect size.

“A lot of people ask if we're a chain and that's a great compliment. Hopefully we'll be able to open more and offer it to other people.”

For those thinking of starting their own venture, Zimmer recommends talking to other business owners.

"Now, I think back and I think it probably would've been extremely helpful because I think we're all a little bit scared of asking for help but I've had a few people reach out to me and I'm so excited to be able to help them,” she said.