Melange Boutique – the new kid on the block

And what a block it is! Accross the road from Libertine and Sass & Bide, this new store lives up to its name with a modern mix of clothes and accessories to suit every style. What’s even better, there’s a SALE on at Melange so if you’re near James Street make sure you pop in and say hi.

I caught up with Bich Nguyen and Jess Tan to try and find out what makes Melange such a success, in retail and online.

How did you decided to start a store, how did that come about?

Bich: We actually spoke about it a couple of years ago, in general conversation like most girls do and then nothing really eventuated with that. Then mid this year in June I stopped working in my law job and then, because I’ve always wanted to do this, I’ve taken the opportunity to look around. These premises came up and with James Street, if you see something you like you have to pick it up, it gets snatched up pretty quickly. We looked at the offer and within a month we were in.

It’s great that you were able to make the most of that opportunity, it’s like everything fell into place.

Jess: Everybody told us not to open the store, even people we knew in retail said it was a bad time to get into retail. But I think the best time to come in is when the market is down, because it makes the transition a lot easier.

Who decided on the name?

Bich: We sort of did together…

Jess: We wanted to go with the rest of the street, there are a couple of little shops that are French inspired so we thought we’d stick with that theme. Melange means a mix of things and it embodies the whole concept of our store, we like to have a broad range and have something for everyone.

You have some cool labels in store, what have you found that works really well in this area?

Jess: La Chouette, a local designer.

Bich: A lot of people when they pick up pieces, it tends to be a couple of her pieces together, rather than various labels.

Jess: We weren’t really sure what people would respond to down here because James Street does the similar look throughout, very mature. We wanted to bring the mix into the market and to test the waters we brought in a bit of everything.

You have quite a following on your Facebook page (1561 fans) which is amazing seeing as you opened a month ago. Do you find that social media helps bring people in store?

Jess: Social media is definitely a big help, it’s a great way to market and advertise our store.

How do you decide what to post on the page? How do you pick pieces to showcase?

Bich: With the clothing, the ranges, we will post it on Facebook when we know it is coming into the store. With the jewellery, when I’m working I have a play around with it. Wall photos aren’t planned, we just get inspired on the day.

Tell us about your Facebook competition

Bich: We’ve got a ‘Suggest a friend’ competition running, to build up our fan base. This time we’ve got these clogs and the dress as the prize. A lot of people forget to write ‘Suggested’ on the wall so you make sure you write ‘Suggested’.

So… the competition is on now, the sale is on now and you have no excuse to stay away any longer!