For most people, owning a business is daunting. There’s inventory, scheduling, balancing other responsibilities, not to mention the seemingly endless paperwork. But for Brittnie Arroyo, that was always the dream.
“I’ve always wanted to own my own business, as long as I can remember,” she said. And now, that dream is now a reality, with the opening of Twenty Two, a women’s clothing boutique located in Price.
“It’s seriously like living on cloud nine,” said Arroyo, sitting on the floor of the boutique, looking around the small but jam-packed store. “Sometimes I just sit behind that counter and I just have the biggest smile on my face because I sit back there and I’m like, ‘Oh my god, I did it.’”
Arroyo did not necessarily have goals to open a clothing store, just a business in general. But when the opportunity arose to sell some clothes, on top of her full-time job and mom and wife duties, she jumped at the chance. After thinking it over, she decided to turn it into an actual business.
“If I was going to open up a business, now was my chance and it was like a now or never kind of thing,” said Arroyo.
That was in February. Now, Twenty Two is in full swing, providing women’s clothing at affordable prices, with nothing in the store priced over $30.
“I really think people are loving the quality versus the price,” explained Arroyo. “I’m not cutting a huge profit but at the end of the day, if I sell more then that’s better.”
It’s important to Arroyo for girls and women to have stylish clothes without breaking the bank, and also find clothes that are flattering for any size or body type.
“I want parents to be able to afford cute clothing for their girls,” said Arroyo. “Kids are cruel and you shouldn’t have to have a ton of money to buy these clothes and look cute and feel good about yourself. I think that’s the biggest thing and that’s why I carry all sizes. I just want women and girls to leave empowered like, ‘They have my clothes, they have clothes that fit me.’”
Arroyo only buys one, maybe two, of each size of a specific style, including plus sizes, and constantly has new inventory. “We live in such a small town that I don’t want to order tons and tons of the same shirt and then people be like [matching]. Some people care about that.”
Despite being such a brand new business, Arroyo already has preliminary plans for expanding Twenty Two, especially due to the recent closures of clothing stores in the area. She has asked around and, with the support of her already loyal shoppers, has decided that she will be expanding into children’s clothing next, still trying to keep her prices as low as possible.
“I’ve told people, I can never beat Walmart prices,” said Arroyo. “I don’t think any small business owner can beat Walmart prices… I’ve posted [on Facebook] the kinds of kids clothes that I would be selling and… I’ve still seen a ton of support of wanting me to do kids clothes.”
Arroyo has already spoken to her landlord about expanding into the space next door to Twenty Two in order to increase inventory.
“I’m trying to grow as quickly as I can,” said Arroyo, acknowledging that places to find clothing are becoming sparse. “I really am trying to take a step back and obviously the need is there much quicker… I am hoping to expand as quick as possible. I know that I’ll probably go from women’s clothing, include children’s clothing and then maybe men’s and stuff like that.”
For now, Arroyo is sticking with women’s clothing, with some children’s pieces available soon online. For more information, and for store hours, check out Twenty Two on Facebook.
“Ever since high school this is all I wanted to do was own my own business so it’s like it finally happened, I finally did it. It’s like your dreams coming true, literally fulfilling your dream,” concluded Arroyo.
Businesses open, re-open: New women’s clothing store opens
Brittnie Arroyo