Sydney Plaskey’s passions in life include shopping the latest trends and giving creative gifts.
“I have a mini-boutique in my home,” Plaskey, 29, said. “It’s just for myself, basically a closet, but it’s the entire bedroom. I was laughing with friends, ‘I’m going to make it real now’.”
The first-time business owner is gearing up to open a new fashion boutique, Sunny’s on the Corner, in downtown Brighton.
She said she is excited to combine her background in marketing and her love of shopping and gift giving to run the boutique.
The boutique will focus on women’s clothing, accessories and shoes, and also offer baby clothes and some items for men, including retro sports apparel.
Plaskey will take over a storefront at 334 W. Main St. in May after longtime boutique Bink & Babs closes for business at the end of this month.
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She said she hopes to open in early July.
She also plans to participate in the upcoming Spring Ladies Night Out shopping event May 5. While her store will not be set up by then, she plans to have a small selection of fashion items for sale to give shoppers a preview of the types of products she will sell.
Another room in her home, her dining room, is filled for the time being.
“My dining room is full of inventory and fixtures for the store right now,” she said.
Thousands of items are pending in online shopping carts, ready for her to purchase for the store.
“I’m looking at trade shows to attend. I’ll be able to see some designers in person,” she said.
She said she wants to sell fashion items that “will be a little more edgy.”
“I think a lot of boutiques go for a more subdued, pretty cute look, and I do wear a lot of that myself, but I think for this store I’m going to go with something more edgy, trendy,” she said. “We’ll have some light-colored, pretty dresses, too, but I’m not afraid of cowboy boots and bright colors.”
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Her search for the perfect inventory for her store has also taken her to markets in the Detroit area, and she has connected with vintage sports apparel brands.
“I’m talking with a few brands that recreate the old Lions logo or print a retro Michigan (Wolverines) shirt. It’s not what you’d find in the bookstores of Michigan or Michigan State. It will be more unique designs,” she said.
The said the design of the store will also have a retro feel.
She said she is planning to create some custom logos herself, using graphic design and printing skills she acquired working in marketing.
She previously worked for Livonia-based firm Valassis, for about seven years, and worked at several boutiques as a college student. She and her husband Jimmie Plaskey, who works in downtown Brighton for financial planning firm Executive Wealth Management, live nearby in South Lyon.
Sunny’s on the Corner will have an online presence, including social media channels.
“I’ll have a large online store, with everything in the store available online, and a lot of social media,” Sydney Plaskey said.
She said she loves assembling gift baskets for her own friends and family and will offer some “grab-and-go” baskets with selections of items for baby showers, graduation parties and other celebrations.
“I will rarely buy something off the shelf and just give it. They always have multiple parts that are cohesive,” she said.
One idea she came up with for a baby shower was a bin filled with swimming items, like baby swimsuits and baby sunscreen.
She said the shop will sell themed baskets that people can pick up and take to events.
The shop could also feature a small selection of gift or home décor items, but she said that will not be the store’s focus.
Barb Binkley said several people expressed interest in the space, which she wanted to stay retail.
“I love, love her ideas,” Binkley said. “I love the retro theme she’s going with. I think it’s going to be spot on, because we don’t have that in Brighton.”
She and her husband decided to close Bink & Babs, which opened in 2012, to focus on their other downtown Brighton business, Cooper & Binkley Jewelers.
Binkley said she was impressed by Plaskey’s background in marketing and retail.
“I think she’s going to hit the ground running,” she said. “She’s a community person and her husband works downtown. She’s going to have support from day one. She has great style, so I know I’m going to be shopping there.”
Contact Livingston Daily reporter Jennifer Timar at [email protected].
