LSU students and alumni turned online businesses into physical stores.entertainment

Emily Rodrigue and Marlo Rodrigue loved fashion from an early age.

“I fell in love with fashion more because I helped other people choose clothes they liked and felt confident in,” Marlo said.

Two cousins ​​and friends were discussing starting a boutique together, but never imagined it would happen so quickly.

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

“Even after we opened our online store, we didn’t see a physical store in the near future,” says Marlo. “It became something that tugs at our heartstrings. If it was meant to be, we knew it would come true.”

The opening day of the store has ended successfully. Marem Boutique hosted a variety of pop-ups in-store, from cookies to his permanent jewelry to Bubbly. From a shopper’s perspective, everything went without a hitch. Shopping in Malem makes Girl He feel like he’s with a gang. It is a shop where you can try on clothes with confidence.

The name Malem is a combination of both female names, ‘Ma’ from Marlo and ‘Em’ from Emily. Starting a business was a daunting task for Marlo and Emily in their late teens to early twenties, but their passion and dedication kept them moving forward.

Emily describes her first three months as an entrepreneur was a stressful time. She said today they turn around and laugh because everything they were trying to figure out is second nature to them.Emily is finishing her senior year as a marketing major at LSU. Marlo graduated from her LSU in August 2022 with a degree in Marketing.

“We don’t have a blueprint for how things should be done, but there are many resources to help us get through the tough times,” Marlo said.

Hosting events using social media is a great way to get exposure for your new business. Marlo and Emily knew this would work especially well in a place like Baton Rouge, which has a lot of college students.

Marem Boutique has been attending pop-up events around town since the online store opened. Marlo and Emily enjoyed setting up the temporary retail space, but Marlo said it was a lot of work. The women are thrilled to have their own permanent store.

Emily said it was a unique feeling to be able to meet her customers and see the garments being made.

The clothes Marem sells are how many college girls want their closets to look. From everything you might need for game day to colorful dresses in a variety of styles. increase. The store has shoes for every occasion and jewelry from understated to statement pieces.

Marlo and Emily love going on shopping trips to markets and fairs to stock their boutiques. Marlo said they would divide and conquer. They each pick an aspect of the store, choose what they like, and then look at each piece together. It’s a matter of being within the band and being compatible with the customer base, Marlo said.

“There are definitely times when you like one item and dislike another,” Marlo said. “We generally compromise.”

Much like choosing clothes, both Marem women are responsible for Marem’s social media @shopmarem.

“I try to post four to five photos a day to showcase as many products as possible,” says Marlo.

Marlo is responsible for posting photos and Emily is responsible for creating and posting social media stories. We will take and edit photos of the outfits depending on who has time in their schedule.

Marlo and Emily appreciate the support from family, friends and customers. The two look forward to continuing to make their mark in Baton Rouge, a community they know and love.

“From restaurants to sororities, we love them all,” said Emily. “They’re one of her reasons why we’re opening stores now.”