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Bertrand and Stein - Scout & Molly's
After a hurry-up-and-wait period followed by a flurry of no-time-to-breathe activity, Ami Bertrand and Terri Stein have opened Scout & Molly’s of Lexington in the Summit at Fritz Farm.
When the owners got their certificate of occupancy on April 25, they had 36 hours to paint the store, hang fixtures, open boxes of inventory, steam and tag the clothing, and put all merchandise on display so they could open their doors on April 27 with offerings of women’s dresses, tops, tees and other upper-end casual wear, plus purses, shoes and jewelry.
Scout & Molly’s of Lexington was more than two years in the making. Bertrand has a background in both financial and operational sides of business and knew she wanted to open a company someday.
“I’ve been saving my whole life,” she said.
She got serious about researching franchise opportunities in late 2014 and stumbled on Scout & Molly’s. Bertrand and Stein both were attracted to the franchise’s business model of being working owners or absentee owners (they’ve chosen the latter) and after a meeting with founder Lisa Kornstein in Raleigh, North Carolina, “we were taken in,” Stein said. “We decided the night after we met Lisa that we were going to forge ahead.”
That was January 2015. The Lexington business partners pursued a loan through the Small Business Administration, wrote a business plan and signed a franchise agreement for the Fayette County rights in August 2015. As for a potential location? Ground had just been broken a month earlier for the Summit at Fritz Farm on Nicholasville Road.
“We personally felt it had to be at the Summit and waited it out,” Stein said. “Terri and I decided we would only go to the Summit or we weren’t going to do it,” Bertrand said. “It all fell into place.”
The Lexington franchise is the 38th Scout & Molly’s boutique to open in the United States within the past decade. As of early May, 39 locations were open with 60 others signed on. The company is named for the founder’s two Labradors, Scout and Molly.
Lexington’s Bertrand and Stein are dog lovers too. They met as neighbors walking their dogs, both pugs, and struck up a friendship that’s now become a business partnership. Bertrand, who grew up in Mobile, Alabama, has lived in Lexington since 2003. “It is the coolest city. I didn’t think I would love it, but I can’t imagine living anywhere else, truly,” she said.
Their business neighbors at the Summit include the cosmetics boutique Cos Bar, jewelry store Kendra Scott and Midway-based men’s clothier Crittenden Clothes.
“Crittenden’s is the one that wowed us,” Stein said. “They’ve been our best friend.”
The two sets of store owners are coming up with his-and-her ideas for dressing party-going couples in Central Kentucky.
The Miss Kentucky pageant has already chosen Scout & Molly’s of Lexington as its official 2017 store.
“All the contestants have appointments to buy their runway dresses, and they are welcome to buy their interview outfits from us as well,” Stein said.
A fashion show featuring contestants in Scout & Molly’s outfits will take place June 25th at Distillery Square inside the Venues of the Grand Reserve and the competition is July 1st at the Singletary Center for the Arts.
Bertrand and Stein have hired a store manager and four part-time style scouts so they can keep their day jobs. Stein is business development officer at Central Bank, and Bertrand is principal project manager for New York-based Nasdaq BWise. They keep track of their clothing store details digitally by tablets and smartphones and visit in person as often as they can, especially on weekends.
“Terri and I are so excited to be here and build more and add to the community and provide jobs to people and give back,” Bertrand said.
“The most exciting experience for me has been watching everything align and the dream of the store come to reality with one of my dear friends,” Stein said. “It’s been a fun journey, and I’m excited for the next 20-plus years.”