LSU students and alumni transform online business into storefront: Marem Boutique | Entertainment

Emily Rodrigue and Marlo Rodrigue have loved fashion since childhood.

“What makes me more into fashion is helping other people pick out clothes they love and feel confident about,” Marlo says.

Opening a boutique together was something two cousins ​​friends talked about, but they didn’t expect it to happen so soon.

On July 25, 2020, Emily and Marlo opened Marem Boutique as an online store. Just two years later, on September 16, 2022, Emily and Marlowe opened a storefront at 4250 Burbank Dr.

“Even after we opened an online store, we never saw a storefront in the near future,” Marlowe said. “It became something that tugs at our heartstrings and we know that if it’s meant to be, it will come true.”

The storefront’s opening day was a success. Marem Boutique hosts many different pop-ups within their store – from cookies to permanent jewelry to Bubbly. From a shopper’s perspective, everything went smoothly. Shopping at Marem makes you feel like you’re with a teenage gang. This store offers you a place to try on clothes with confidence.

The name Marem comes from two women’s names – “Mar” for Marlo and “Em” for Emily. Entrepreneurship was a tough job for Marlo and Emily in their teens and early twenties, but their passion and dedication kept them going.

Emily describes the first three months of starting a business as a stressful time. She said today that they looked back and laughed because everything they were trying to figure out was second nature to them now. Emily is entering her senior year in Marketing at LSU. Marlo graduated from Louisiana State University in August 2022 with a degree in Marketing.

“There’s no blueprint for how to do things, but there are a lot of resources out there to help us through difficult times,” Marlowe said.

Leveraging social media and hosting events are great ways for new businesses to gain exposure. Marlo and Emily knew this would work especially well in places like Baton Rouge with a lot of college students.

Since the opening of the online store, Marem Boutique has participated in pop-ups all over the city. While Marlo and Emily enjoy setting up temporary retail spaces, Marlo says it’s a lot of work. Women are happy to have their own permanent storefront.

Emily says being able to meet customers and see the clothes come to life is a different feeling.

Marem sells clothes that many college women want their wardrobes to look like — from everything a game day might need to colorful dresses in a variety of styles. The store sells a wide variety of products and strives to provide every shopper with a style. The store has shoes for every occasion and jewelry from subtle to statement pieces.

Marlo and Emily love going to markets and trade shows to shop for their boutique. Marlowe said they divide and conquer. They each choose a side of the store, choose what they like, and browse each piece together. Marlo says one of the important factors they consider when choosing what to buy is whether it’s in their price range and fits their customer base.

“There’s definitely a time when one person likes an item and another person doesn’t,” Marlowe said. “We usually compromise.”

Like the choice of clothes, the responsibility of Marem’s social media, @shopmaremOccupied by two Marem women.

“We like to post four to five photos a day to showcase as many products as possible,” Marlowe said.

Marlo is responsible for posting the photos, while Emily is responsible for producing and posting to social media stories. They all take and edit photos of the outfits, depending on who has time in their schedules.

Marlo and Emily are very grateful for the support they have received from family, friends and clients. The pair are excited to continue to make their mark on the Baton Rouge community they know and love.

“From restaurants to sororities, we love them all,” says Emily. “They’re one of the reasons we’re opening storefronts now.”