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 Robin Boesch and Robyn Sribhen-White (BBAs ’00) |
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Friends Use Their
Lessons from McCombs
to Open a Boutique When Robin Boesch and Robyn Sribhen-White departed from McCombs, the college friends took opposite paths—literally.
Boesch’s BHP & finance degree took her to Wall Street, working in sales and trading for Goldman Sachs amidst the hustle and bustle of New York City. She was quenching the thirst for Wall Street she gained while interning at Goldman during college.
Sribhen-White used her marketing degree to land a job in retail management with Gap, Inc. on the other side of the country in San Francisco. After a brief tour in Ohio working for Hollister Co., a division of Abercrombie & Fitch, she ended back up in California as a senior merchant for Bebe.
These were two friends separated by thousands of miles, living their respective dreams, but the full-time commitment of their careers was taking a toll.
“We both had inflexible jobs,” Boesch says. “And after a few years, we decided we might want something with more balance.”
In college, the pair joked about starting their own business, and the farfetched idea resurfaced in 2005. But after their education and business experience, the notion didn’t seem too far-out there this time around.
After a whirlwind eight months of research and planning, in October 2006, the pair opened up y & i clothing boutique in San Francisco. The store name comes from their first names: Robyn and Robin.
Specializing in trendy women’s fashions that won’t break the bank, they have created a unique niche in the crowded retail market.
“To us, fashion seemed to be overpriced. We wanted a store where we could get an entire outfit for under $300. We wanted to provide more value for your money,” Boesch says. “At our store we want to attract people who could spend more, but who also enjoy being smart with their money and like knowing they’re getting something versatile for what they’re spending.”
While satiating their fashion desires, the store has also provided the balance they were looking for between their careers and their personal lives.
Robyn welcomed her first child in July and, with a flexible work schedule, the transition has been easy. Each work three days a week in the store and put in hours from home also.
“All women have same dilemma. We want full-time jobs and families and it’s hard to do both well,” Boesch says. “[Our situation] is really working out.”
Along with having the “cool” honor of owning a store, the two appreciate what they learned at McCombs and feel it gave them the necessary background to start a business.
“We knew all the components necessary to start a successful business,” Boesch says. “[McCombs] gave us a good background.”
Perhaps the most important gift of all from McCombs was reconnecting the future business partners and friends for life.
Without it, their current dream wouldn’t be happening. Check out y & i clothing boutique.
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Last Updated
Wednesday, July 23, 2008