Shelby woman opening mobile boutique
Eight years after turning a hobby into a full-time job, Morgan Laughlin is preparing to launch Shelby’s first mobile boutique.
Dubbed the “wheeltique,” the trailer with a pink flowered wrap and Morgan Chandler Boutique logo on it will be holding its grand opening during the 7th Inning Stretch Festival in August.
The 25-year-old entrepreneur runs the boutique with the help of two employees but after COVID forced them to sell primarily online, she ended up closing their storefront on Lafayette Street because sales were skyrocketing.
Laughlin said they do around 600 sales a month and bring in around six figures a year.
“We do most of our sales in our Facebook group and through the website,” she said.
Still, she wanted that face-to-face interaction.
“I just like being able to connect with people,” she said. “I’ve made so many friends through my customers.”
She said she got the idea for the mobile boutique after seeing similar ones in Charlotte.
They are already booked for the month of August and have events lined up through the rest of the year.
Laughlin said Morgan Chandler will be in Charlotte at Girl Tribe, Sycamore Brewing and the vendor event, Front Porch Sundays, in addition to different wineries around the region.
She said they are hoping to do pop-ups with other businesses and food trucks.
Laughlin said they began making plans for a mobile boutique back in April and after purchasing the trailer. She had the wrap created and installed by Darkside Window Tinting.
Inside, there will be clothing racks, a dressing room and mirrors.
The 14-foot trailer will have light and power hooked up to it.
“It’s a full mobile boutique inside,” she said.
Laughlin said as far as she knows, it is the only Shelby mobile boutique.
Laughlin, a Shelby native, founded Morgan Chandler Boutique in 2014 and has turned what started as a hobby into a smashing success.
“I never thought at 25 years old I’d be running a six figure business,” she said. “It was just something I was doing for fun and it turned into a full time job.”
She is also the mother of two children under two.
Morgan Chandler Boutique can be found on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok as well as their website, morganchandlerboutique.com.
This article originally appeared on The Shelby Star: New Shelby mobile boutique set to launch next month
