Southeast alumna follows passions to open bridal boutique

Renee Clements spends her day surrounded by white tulle and submerged in her many passions.

Clements is the owner of Magnolia Bridal Boutique in Cape Girardeau, which opened in January 2016.

Clements graduated from Southeast Missouri State University in 2010 with degrees in both fashion merchandising and advertising with the dream of working for a fashion magazine, but her part-time job in college led her to discover a new passion.

"I got a part-time job at a bridal shop here in Cape and that's how I initially got exposed to the industry," Clements said.

Clements was a salesperson at the shop and said the experience made her appreciate the industry. Her passion for bridal bloomed out of the opportunity to create a meaningful experience around fashion.

"I obviously was excited and loved working in the fashion industry, but I always liked that there was more depth behind it that came from working in an emotional atmosphere," Clements said. "It's a big day and it's very exciting for the bride and it's the piece that really sets everything together."

After graduating, Clements found herself at Nordstrom, one of the world's largest department stores. Nordstrom, she said, is a customer service-based company that values building relationships with the people who come through its doors.

"I realized what it really meant to provide an experience for someone and wanted to really learn how powerful customer experience was in building relationships with your customers," Clements said.

She added that the Nordstrom philosophy helped her learn the difference between quantity-based service and quality-based service, and she favored the latter.

Working for Nordstrom had moved Clements and her husband to Seattle, the headquarters of the company, but events in their personal lives, she said, moved them back home to Missouri. She said she wanted to work in bridal, but didn't love how the industry functioned.

"Bridal is very quantity driven," she said. "It's about getting them in and getting them out and not as much about the Nordstrom culture."

Clements said she wanted to bring Nordstrom's value for quality service to the bridal industry. Her passions for the bridal experience and relationship-based service inspired her to create her own business.

"It was an opportunity that was open in the market and I wanted to fill that void," Clements said.

And she did.

Clements compiled an exclusive list of designer bridal collections that cannot be found anywhere else in southeast Missouri. She attends the bridal market in Chicago twice a year to gather some pieces of her collection, and travels to New York City to see exclusive collections only shown in designers' showrooms.

However, what sets Magnolia apart from other boutiques in the area is the emphasis on quality service. Consultations are appointment based, which allows for one-on-one attention with the bride and her family in a relaxed, welcome environment.

For the most part, Magnolia is a one-woman show with Clements taking center stage. She owns the business, selects every gown the boutique offers, keeps the books and acts as a consultant for every bride who walks through her door.

“The culture that entrepreneurship brings allows me to wear many hats and have many different jobs,” she said. “It really fits my personality well because I enjoy doing all of these things, and nowhere else in the world could I do all of these things.”

She collaborates with other local professionals in the bridal industry, such as photographers and florists, to advance Magnolia's branding and marketing. The most permanent partnership Clements has is with her on-site seamstress who does alterations for gowns, but operates her own independent business in an office space provided at the store.

For students about to enter the workforce, Clements advises them to get involved and get as much work experience as possible, no matter the industry, in order to gain experiences and skills they can keep in their tool belt for future use.

“The more work experience you have, regardless if it seems relevant to the industry you want to be exposed to, there are going to be parts that you can pull away from it and learn from,” Clements said. “Get involved and put yourself out there … no job is too small.”

She also advised students to find and follow their passions and work hard.

“You have to work hard and you have to give it your heart, because if you don’t, you’re going to fall up short,” Clements said.

Clements is hoping to hire interns and other employees in the future, but said for now, she can balance the different pieces of her business.

Magnolia Bridal Boutique is located on the corner of Broadway and Fountain streets in downtown Cape Girardeau.