By Kristin Kirtz
The Daily Globe, Worthington, Minn.
FULDA
It’s not business, it’s personal. At least that’s how the Kramer ladies view their new online clothing company.
Elizabeth Kramer and Kaitlyn Killoran, sisters and Fulda natives, along with their mom, Trish Kramer, have opened an online clothing store. Persona Co. began doing business in April and will host a fashion show on Thursday at The Vine in Slayton. The vine is owned by Deb Peterson, who used to own BenLee’s in Worthington.
The show starts at 5 p.m. and continues until 8 p.m., with the style show scheduled for 6:30 p.m. The rest of the time will be available for attendees to shop. Food will be available, and there will be a cash bar.
Kaitlyn said there are plenty of reasons why women should check out the show, but the number one reason is that all three owners will be there to help find clothes that look good on each woman.
“The great thing from buying our product at the show is that you can try things on and obviously there will be no shipping,” Kaitlyn said. “And the best thing is that all three of us will be available to help style people, which I think is super helpful and much more customized than when you buy at a store or online.”
“Also, there will be exclusive pieces that are not yet available online,” Elizabeth Kramer added.
Making a fashion statement
The three ladies each have an important role in running the business. Elizabeth is in charge of social media and models much of the clothing online, Kaitlyn manages the orders and takes photos of the models for the website, and Trish is in charge of talking to vendors and shipping the merchandise. However, when it comes to shopping for the company’s merchandise, all three ladies are part of the process.
The trio said the fact that they try on every item they buy sets them apart from other businesses.
“I think we shocked the vendors at market,” Trish said, laughing. “There have been a few items that we loved initially, but when we tried it on we realized it wasn’t something we wanted to sell.”
Persona Co. specializes in business casual clothing and wants every outfit to be appropriate for work as well as play.
“We do want to try everything on so we know how it’s going to fit people and if it’s going to be true to size,” Elizabeth said. “We want it to look great and be comfortable.”
The trio believes all women should have clothes that make them feel beautiful and still be comfortable. Trish said she wants shoppers to know that Persona Co. is there to help.
“Sometimes you want to look fun but still be age-appropriate,” Trish said. “Our clothes feel fantastic, and they are age-appropriate for anyone in the workforce. They are very classy looking, and some have just that touch of edge to it. We try to find stuff that is a little out of the norm.”
Providing the right touch
Persona Co. is only three months old and is already receiving positive feedback. Its owners have faith that the business will continue to grow fast, and they hope the company will soon be selling clothes nationally.
Trish said that part of growing a customer base is offering personalized touches. So far, she said, the trio is doing just that.
“I love when we get interaction from the customers when they email us back that they love the clothes they purchased,” Trish said.
Persona Co. wants its customers to feel appreciated, so the trio keeps track of returnees to see what they are purchasing. At one point, Kaitlyn noticed a return customer buying a size that she hadn’t ordered before, so the team emailed her and double-checked that she wanted that size. It turned out the lady ordered the wrong size by mistake.
“She was so thankful that we caught that ordering mistake and took the time,” Kaitlyn said. “A lot people who have ordered from us have reordered, so that is great validation that they like what we have.”
Persona Co. is on Facebook at Persona Brands and on the web at personaclothingco.com.
