Today we’d like to introduce you to Natalie Galligan.
Hi Natalie, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Hi there and thank you for this opportunity. I grew up in Central Illinois and attended Illinois State University in Bloomington, Illinois. I have a Masters degree in social work and worked in that field for 10 years with state government. I then made a career change going into Pharmaceutical sales. I worked in this field for 2 years before starting my own business.
I opened Shoo Shoo Baby Boutique, in Bloomington, Illinois in 2009. Named after my father-in-law’s WWII B17 bomber ,we were a women’s clothing and shoe boutique. My husband and I resided in Bloomington and I ran the boutique until my husband’s retirement from State Farm Insurance March, 2018. We had been planning a move to Central Florida for several years and we were thrilled to make it happen in the spring of 2018. I continued the business in Illinois but lived in Florida and would commute to Illinois each month for a week.
While we lived in Montverde we quickly fell in love with downtown Winter Garden. At the time there was only one boutique and for a growing and thriving downtown, I knew more shopping options were needed. One spot was available in downtown at a new construction location at 117 S. Boyd. We opened Shoo Shoo Baby Winter Garden in October 2019. I continued flying back and forth to Illinois for the following two years and ran both stores during the pandemic. It was such a difficult and uncertain time but I had a strong customer base in Illinois that supported my stores through online ordering while I was growing the customer base in Florida. I was very fortunate to have things work out the way they did. I closed the Illinois store in September 2021 and focused solely on the Florida store.
Over the last 5 years in downtown Winter Garden, Shoo Shoo Baby has continued to grow and in 2024 we moved to a new and beautiful location at 36 W. Plant St. I am thrilled with the new location and we have met so many amazing women that we get to meet and assist every day.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I would say that owning your own business is never a completely smooth road. There are ups and downs, twists and turns but that is one of the things I love. My business has changed and evolved through the years as different challenges have arisen. One of the biggest challenges was moving states and running my first store from a different state. As if that wan’t challenging enough, the pandemic hit just 6 months after opening my Florida store. It was an emotionally and mentally difficult time, but I had faith and trusted that I was exactly where I was supposed to be. I leaned into my beliefs and my faith during those uncertain times.
I am very fortunate to have a strong support system around me with my family, as well as my team that I work with. The women that I have hired and worked with over the years have been great support and friends.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Shoo Shoo Baby was named after my father-in-law’s WWII bomber. My husband suggested the name as a way to honor his father and the time he served in the war. At the time, we sold shoes & clothes so it was a little more appropriate. Over time, I decided to phase out shoes and switched to all clothing and accessories. However, we kept the name even after moving to Florida and opening a new store, because the business has been good to us and it has meaning to our family.
Our primary goal at Shoo Shoo Baby is to work one on one with women to help them achieve their best look while also finding pieces that they can wear for years. We focus on fit, quality and service. These are the foundations of every interaction we have, whether it is in the store or through our Facebook Live sales. I want women to love what they purchase and love how they feel in my store. We want your time at Shoo Shoo Baby to be a full shopping experience.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I would say that I am a calculated risk taker. The biggest risk was starting my business in 2009. Although the economy was struggling, I truly believed that opening Shoo Shoo Baby was what I was being called to do. I felt that if I could get established during a down economic time then I would be ready to soar when things improved. The first couple of years in business were hard and growth was slow, but after the 4th year, my business took off. Starting a new business takes times and you have to be willing to grind out those super slow years in the beginning. They are hard, but if you can make it through, the risks don’t seem as scary, even moving to a new state and starting completely over.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.shooshoobaby.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/shooshoobabyboutique
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ShooshoobabyVIP
