Boutique Peek: I Like You

Isn’t I Like You just about the best name for a boutique you’ve ever heard? The Minneapolis shop is owned and operated by Sarah Sweet and Angela Lessman, accompanied by one happy little employee, Jessica Smith.  The shop works over 200 local artists, selling one of a kind, locally produced goodies.  You can befriend them on Twitter or Facebook.

If you were forced to choose, what's your absolutely favorite thing that you carry in your store?

Since there's three of us, we would rather give a top three instead of choosing just one.  Right now our favorites include:

1. Clay vegan taxidermy by Kristina Drake.  They are these absolutely adorable, critters' heads.  They vary from rabbits and squirrels to skunks and beavers; they all have little horns and deer racks or unicorn horns. and they're mounted on brightly colored wooden plaques.  So cute!

2. Bicycle leather earrings by Emily Floyd.  They're well made, affordable, and look great on everyone.

3. Glass blown ornaments by Sofia Lorraine.  They’re beautiful, classic, and tucked in each hanging glass ornament is a feather or two gathered from her friend's peacock farm.

Who's your typical customer?

I don't think we have a typical customer, but I do think the underlying thing that ties all our customers together is that they are so nice.  I mean it - we have the nicest customers.

What are your best selling products?  Why do people love them so much?

One would be Wood From The Hood products - they're frames, growth charts, cribbage boards, etc., made from trees that have already been chopped down right here in Minneapolis.  Each product is really well made and even has a label with the zip code the tree was originally from.

Also, anything that shows off some Minnesota flare does well at i like you - anything from Tshirts (by Overproof), jewelry (by EC Design), screen-printed posters (by Adam Turman), window ornaments (727 Glass), cards, cutting boards and more.

What do you look for in a product line when you're choosing what to carry?

We specialize in locally-made, independently made products, that can be given as gifts.  We're looking for something unique, appropriately priced and affordable, and something that fits with the fun, edgy, quirky aesthetic of our store. Basically, we try to only sell stuff we like and stuff that's not in direct competition with other artists who consign with us.

Describe your dream wholesaler!

Our dream consignor would be local, available to restock us regularly, ready to make custom orders, and would be ready to try lots of new things, while continuing to be consistent.  We also love it when our consignors shop here, visit with us and genuinely love what they make.

How do you make your shop stand out?

I think a big part of it is that the three of us all love what we do.  We don't want to be fake or to hound our customers, and we don't want to manipulate people into buying something.  We're always just being ourselves and our attitudes and aesthetics reflect it. Right when you walk in, you see our big swing, feel the cushy AstroTurf beneath your feet and everything is bright, happy, and colorful. You can't help wanting to come back to a place like that.

Thanks so much for sharing, ladies!

Sarah Von Bargen is a Vianza contributer, interview wrangler and professional blogger in her own right.  Follow her on Twitter for tweets about travel, self-employment and cheese.

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