Not for brides only

She had a stable job and steady income but after 23 years at Republic Bank, Yasmin Winford had had enough, she needed a change. She chucked in the 9 to 5 grind, and took a leap of faith.

After some trial and error and confronting the vagaries of the business world, Winford now owns Yasmin’s, a well-known and upscale boutique and bridal store on Ariapita Avenue, another branch is in San Fernando. Seven years ago, she left a position in Republic Bank’s marketing division, and set about carving her own niche. She ended up in Point Fortin, a virtually untapped local hub for small businesses. “Businesses were going to Point Fortin at that time because of the developments in the energy sector, particularly with LNG. Point Fortin became a place to prosper,” said Winford. There, she started a  “personal care items” store, called Dollar Craze. Items like shampoo, lotions and hair care products which could only be found in supermarkets, could be found there.

Her business took off and like any business person, she began prospecting bigger and better markets. Some opportunities came knocking easily on her door. On one of her trips abroad, she decided to buy some extra clothes and try selling them at the store. It became an immediate hit. As demand for her clothes picked up, the store gradually became known for quality and elegantly casual clothing. “I had to change the name of the store from Dollar Craze, because obviously this did not go with the direction my business was taking. I decided on Yasmin’s Boutique,” said Winford. She began to gradually phase out everything in the store, leaving only elegant and formal clothing and perfumes. This strategic move brought clients from San Fernando, Valsayn and Port-of-Spain to her shop and she opened on Sundays to cater to them. “My business was expanding rapidly, it was more than I could dream would have happened, but it did,” said Winford.

Soon, her shop became too small and Point Fortin a bit too far to cater to her growing clientele. Her next move took her into the city of San Fernando and this propelled her business to new heights. Opening on Todd Street, she was able to penetrate a niche market — the professional women of the city, a very lucrative market for clothing stores. Women flocked to her boutique enamoured with the novelty of her clothes and sincerity of her personality. She stayed on Todd Street for two years before she  realised she needed to move again. “It was very exciting to see my business expand like this,” she said. Yasmin’s then moved to upper Cipero Street in San Fernando, a location it still holds. As a woman of vision with a business flair and indefatigable energy she was constantly looking for new ways to expand, new ways to grow. Her next strategic move led her into the realm of the bridal clothing.

It was an untapped market, she said, and she saw the potential. She immediatley began buying wedding dresses and bridal accessories from other countries and selling them here. In effect, she turned her small boutique from an exotic clothing store to a bridal boutique catering to those with selective tastes. “There was no one-stop shop at the time, not in San Fernando or Port-of-Spain, so I decided to make my shop a one-stop bridal boutique,” said Winford. Like in Point Fortin, clients from all over the country were beating a path to her door. To satisfy their needs, setting up shop in Port-of-Spain seemed like the next logical step. “I went after the bridal market in a big way,” she said. Her husband, Everad Winford, manages the South branch, while she caters to a middle and upper class clientele in the the north.

By buying designer wedding dresses and accessories abroad, she tried to keep the marketing edge. Dresses came from Paris, Italy, Spain, Columbia, Argentina, Indonesia, New York and even India. She buys dresses from well known international designers like Demetrios, Alfred Angelo, Morilee, Vera Wang and David’s Bridal. To cater for the local market, she has hired two in-house designers and also imports bridal dress cloth for those who want to do their own thing. Along with dresses and accessories for the bride, she also has tiaras, gloves, baskets, ring pillows, cake cutters, candles and candle sticks. The list goes on to include even Mikassa crystals, guest registers and cake servers. She travels every six weeks to get new stock, it offers her the opportunity to see what the rest of the world is doing in fashion. She also picks up ideas to incorporate into her business portfolio. “My plans for the future are clear to me. I know what I need to do to make it grow and I am not afraid to take that step,” said Winford. She plans to open a new branch in Central soon to cater to clients in that area. Having dabbled in wedding planning and consulting, she’s looking to expand.  If you wish, she will recommend the right caterers, venues, themes and colour combinations for you.

She also has a professional decorator, Amina Baksh, who is based in San Fernando to decorate venues and help out with her in store displays. Her advice to anyone wanting to start a small business is to be smart and make sure you have enough start-up capital. “You must have working capital. I recommend having at least $25,000 to start because you have to be prepared for the unexpected in terms of expenses,” said Winford. “Like with anything else in your life, you need to be committed to your business and dedicated to making it a success.” But, “The most important thing is building a personal relationship with your clients. You cannot hope to survive in the cut-throat world of business, unless your clients respect and trust you as a business person.” Armed with this philosophy, Winford is constantly challenging herself and her business to achieve greater success.