Photograph by Paul Myers
After 17 years in business, Patti Pollack is closing Exclusively Yours, a boutique at 14500 Big Basin Way, that sells eclectic clothing and accessories.
Exclusively Yours owner's new job is full-time mother
By Rebecca Ray
Shoppers who've fallen for the rhinestone-studded shirts that Patti Pollack sells at Exclusively Yours Boutique won't be able to get them much longer. Pollack says she plans to close her business, which features eclectic clothing and accessories.
The Saratoga resident says she wants to change her career to that of being a full-time mom. "My kids are growing too fast, and I really want to spend some time with them," she said. Her children, Tyler and Ashley, will soon turn 6 and 9, respectively.
Pollack says she also wants more time to pursue her hobbies, which include showing and riding horses and oil painting.
Although the recession affected Pollack's business somewhat, she says it didn't play a part in her decision to close. She says she coped with the recession by buying less expensive lines of clothing, doing more direct mail promoting, advertising more in the newspaper and offering more sales.
Pollack has sold select items--such as pink scarves adorned with yellow flowers and hats with sequins and beads on the brims--at 14500 Big Basin Way since 1985. As the store's name implies, Pollack has always catered to customers who don't want cookie-cutter fashions. In fact, she says, most of the items she buys can't be found in department stores.
"The only way I could really stay alive is to be different from them," Pollack said. "Everybody in this day and age has to have [his or her] own little niche, or else it's very difficult to stay in business."
Unlike most of the collection-driven department stores that sell several copies of name-brand items, Pollack only sells maybe two to four copies of an item. To further give the merchandise she sells a personal touch, she glues rhinestones to some of the T-shirts and designs some of the jewelry.
Pollack describes her store as a "neighborhood kind of store," where she tries to create a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere. She and her two staff workers serve customers wine and water at a bar near the back of the store. She used to have a toy box in the store, so that mothers didn't mind coming in with their children. Also, Pollack says she has never put her employees on commission.
Pollack's late Jack Russell terrier, Lucky, accompanied her to the store for at least five years. Pollack's children also accompanied her to the store, until they started school. "I remember putting little security devices on my kids' clothing so nobody could steal them when I was working," she said.
Pollack says that although she's thought about closing for a while, she made her decision within the last month. She says she doesn't know if she'll open another store. However, she says, she might consider fashion consulting.
Starting March 1, Pollack will slash prices on all her merchandise, including new spring goods that aren't on the floor yet. She says that the store's closing date will depend on how long it takes her to sell almost everything. After she closes, she says, she plans to rent the store space.
She says she'll probably donate the merchandise she doesn't sell to charity.
Pollack has dreamed of opening a store since she was a child. As a full-time student at UCLA, she worked at Bonwitt Teller on Rodeo Drive, where she served wealthy clientele and "really enjoyed the whole retail experience." After four years, she had worked everywhere in the store, including the men's department.
After Pollack graduated cum laude from UCLA with a degree in sociology, she moved back to Saratoga, where her family was. The Saratoga High School graduate earned enough money to open Exclusively Yours after working in the real estate business.
Although Pollack opened the store with her sister, Sherri, she bought Sherri out in 1989.
Pollack says she's loved just about every aspect of the clothing store business. She says she'll miss much of it, including her staff workers and customers and putting together outfits.
Saratoga, California Since 1955
