Répéter caters to fashionistas of all shapes and sizes

By Elizabeth Ridgeway, Special to the Town Crier

JOE HU/TOWN CRIER Répéter employee and mother of the owners Kellee and Kara, Kathy Breaux, works at the State Street consignment shop.

A sandwich board and a dress model on the State Street sidewalk announced a business newcomer this summer: an inexpensive boutique for fashion-conscious women, from petite to plus sizes. Three young women entrepreneurs decided to fill a niche in Los Altos, opening the kind of store they themselves would want to shop in.

Sisters Kellee and Kara Breaux and their friend Jeanette Pedroni, all in their 20s, love fashion and wanted to start a business together. When they stumbled across a perfect rental space on Craigslist dot-org this spring, their dream became a business overnight.

“I was just looking to get an idea of how much a space might cost us when I saw a listing for 250 square feet for $1,300 a month. I couldn’t believe how affordable it was - and we literally had about three weeks to put it together,” Kellee said.

The three women transformed a former travel agent’s office into a fully decorated boutique accented in pink and brown and opened it in May.

Répéter, in Suite 105, 334 State Street, is a consignment boutique - it buys gently worn recent fashions and then resells them, giving 50 percent of the tag price to the original owner. Clotheshorses can profit from unstuffing their closets, and budget-conscious shoppers can find the most recent styles at a greatly discounted price.

“Before we opened we called every person we knew and told them to go through their closets, and that we would be coming by to collect clothing,” Kellee said. “Since Répéter has opened, women have been bringing in clothing in a steady flow. We already have a lot of things on sale, between 20 percent and 50 percent off.”

“I think we fill a gap here. I don’t know anyone my age who can shop at the boutiques on Main - you have to be willing to drop $400 on a pair of shoes,” Kellee said. Items at Répéter range from $6 to $200, and include shoes, bags and fashion jewelry as well as clothing.

“I had a 90-year-old woman buy a pair of pants here the other day, so I wouldn’t categorize us as a ‘young’ store- just very current,” Kellee said. “People are surprised that we have larger sizes, but we ask for them. Boutique shopping often doesn’t include people with plus sizes.”

The enthusiastic response of local women eager to sell has stocked the store with a large inventory. Kellee said that customers are amazed by the quality and selection in her small, boutique-style store.

“We like the quaintness of Los Altos. It’s not such a huge town that small places get overlooked. People here like new faces. They have been very welcoming and send people in to us all the time,” Kellee said.

She wishes that the city would grant her a permit to put a dress rack in the space outside her shop, and that the weekly farmers’ market had booths facing outwards, towards the sidewalk and State Street storefronts. “That worked at the (Los Altos) Arts and Wine Festival this summer, and made a big difference to my business,” Kellee said.

Right now, Répéter is transitioning between summer and fall and looking for lightweight seasonal pieces that are currently in style. No appointment is needed to sell clothing. “We don’t look for labels, we have things ranging from Target to Dolce and Gabbana,” Kellee said.

The consignment business model meant that Pedroni and Kara and Kellee Breaux didn’t need to pay thousands of dollars for an initial inventory - creativity and a huge investment of time were the main ingredients in the new store.

“My only employee is my mom, and she works for free,” Kellee said with a laugh. She and Pedroni learned sales, merchandising and customer service working at Nordstrom, and Kara, an accountant by day, does the bookkeeping on the weekends.

“I love not having to answer to anyone, I love coming in to work at my shop every day,” Kellee said. “I’m only 26 and I’ve done this. I would love it if I can inspire other women to start their own business. I don’t feel like this is my last business endeavor­ - but it is a great starting point.”

For more information, call 949-1323 or visit Répéter at Suite 105, 334 State St.