Jessica Oliver, owner of Must Boutique Westboro, poses in front of one of the store’s clothing displays. Photo courtesy of Jessica Oliver.

As part of a new ‘Behind the Business’ series, the Westboro Village BIA is showcasing the people and stories behind your favourite shops.

The year 2020 might have seemed like a strange moment to retire from a career to start a new business, but for Jessica Oliver, it made sense.

She is the woman behind the business of the Westboro branch of Must Boutique, an upscale women’s clothing store. Must Boutique Westboro is one of six locations throughout North America, with apparel that is mostly sourced from Italy and thoughtfully selected by Montreal-based buyers. 

When everything locked down last spring, it gave Jessica the opportunity to reflect on what she wanted to do going forward.

“I have a big interest in anything creative, and in fashion and personal style,” she said. “From massage therapy, I love being around people. And so I think this is a new way for me to be interacting with people in a way that’s positive.”

Jessica worked as a massage therapist for 18 years, and the highly physical work had taken its toll. The time felt right to move on to something new, and making it fashion-related was a natural fit.

She had taken a basic sewing class many years ago at Ottawa-based haute couture fashion school Richard Robinson. From there, Jessica dabbled in pattern-making and commissioned one-off projects for clients throughout the years.

The inspiration for opening a branch of the Must Boutique franchise came from visiting her friend Susan Wayland’s Oakville store. “Whenever I would go to visit her over the last five or six years, we’d hang out in the store. I loved the clothes so much, and I loved the price point,” she said.

“We were thinking about doing a pop-up store, where my friend would be involved, we go half-and-half and experiment with it, but then we met with the franchisors and, ‘let’s just completely go for it.’”

Jessica said that being an independent owner of a franchised boutique offers the dual benefits of sharing wisdom from fellow shop owners while also having the flexibility to do things her own way.

“I market how I see fit, I run my store how I see fit. I love that freedom. And it’s just really fun to welcome people in. It’s social, it’s fun. I love the creative aspect. So yeah, I kind of like everything about it,” she said laughing.

“We do small quantities of things, which is great because we can offer uniqueness. And in the store, there are so many different things because I might have only two of the top or two in each colour. And that’s it, then it’s gone. And the next thing comes.”

She learned from fellow Must franchisees by creating a robust social media presence for her Westboro shop. Jessica frequently updates on Facebook, and creates Instagram videos where she goes through the racks and talks about different garments.

Jessica recounted the conversation she had with Oakville-based Must owner, Susan. “When we started talking about me having a store, she’s like, ‘Jessica, if you want to succeed, you are going to have to post all the time, you’ve got to post and do the videos and just get comfortable!’” said Jessica, laughing. “It’s awkward, but it’s getting easier. It’s been six months now so it’s getting easier with time.”

At a time when in-store shopping is in a constant state of flux due to public health guidelines, she said that the social media strategy helps reach people outside of the store.

“I’ve had feedback from some ladies coming in saying ‘I’ve been watching your videos, and it’s great because I can be at home, and I can see what’s in the store. And then when I see a couple things I want to check out and come in.'”

“With the pandemic for sure, more of us are sort of getting used to looking at things at home more. So maybe there’s been a shift in how people are using social media.”

Jessica and Must Boutique Westboro were profiled by CTV News through their curbside pick-up series in February 2021.

Jessica has certainly faced her own share of challenges since opening, particularly the difficulty of keeping the business running in and out of Ottawa’s different stages of lockdown.

“We knew there was a chance of a lockdown. I mean obviously, we opened in a pandemic, we knew what the risk was. So that was a bit of a challenge for sure. Because the whole thing is to be able to really see the colour, the texture, try on and things like that.”

But even with the obstacles of running a new business in the current economic climate, Jessica said she is grateful for the warm reception given to her by the community.

“I’m amazed at how welcomed I’ve been in the neighbourhood. By the people in the neighbourhood, but also by the Westboro BIA. I’m amazed by the welcome and the support.”

You can find Jessica and Must Boutique Westboro on Facebook and Instagram!