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Founder of Charming Charlie bags E&Y Award
08 Jul '10
2 min read
Charming Charlie, a fashion accessory boutique, announced that Charlie Chanaratsopon, CEO and founder, received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year 2010 Award in the retail category in Houston & Gulf Coast Area. According to Ernst & Young LLP, the award recognizes outstanding entrepreneurs who are building and leading dynamic, growing businesses. Charlie Chanaratsopon was selected by an independent panel of judges, and the award was presented at a gala event at the Omni Hotel Houston on June 24, 2010.
“I am so grateful to have been selected as the winner, but I look at this as a team award more than a personal award. Charming Charlie could not be where it is today without my team,” stated Chanaratsopon.
Chanaratsopon, a commercial real estate professional, founded Charming Charlie in 2004 in his hometown of Houston, TX. Parlaying his Columbia graduate business school office hours into business consulting sessions and his personal line of credit into funding, Chanaratsopon was able to manifest his retail vision into a reality when a tenant from one of his shopping centers backed out of their lease.
The concept was unique to the market, especially amid a sea of struggling apparel-based retailers. Chanaratsopon and team incubated the women's accessory concept in Houston and methodically tested different product mixes, visual merchandising schemes and even fixtures. Chanaratsopon also found it key to listen to the consumer through customer surveys and by analyzing sales trends.
The end result was a combination of an upscale fashion accessory boutique experience, value-oriented price points, a broad selection to suit any personal consumer aesthetic and a merchandising scheme based on color instead of category. So, if a shopper was looking to accessorize a red outfit, she could very easily find all of her accessory options in red. Charming Charlie was positioned to be a consumer success and a complement to other retailers, creating a universal fit in most shopping centers and malls.
Charming Charlie, the Houston fashion accessory boutique, began their expansion across Texas in 2006 and now has over 55 stores in 14 states mainly across the southeastern United States.
“I am so grateful to have been selected as the winner, but I look at this as a team award more than a personal award. Charming Charlie could not be where it is today without my team,” stated Chanaratsopon.
Chanaratsopon, a commercial real estate professional, founded Charming Charlie in 2004 in his hometown of Houston, TX. Parlaying his Columbia graduate business school office hours into business consulting sessions and his personal line of credit into funding, Chanaratsopon was able to manifest his retail vision into a reality when a tenant from one of his shopping centers backed out of their lease.
The concept was unique to the market, especially amid a sea of struggling apparel-based retailers. Chanaratsopon and team incubated the women's accessory concept in Houston and methodically tested different product mixes, visual merchandising schemes and even fixtures. Chanaratsopon also found it key to listen to the consumer through customer surveys and by analyzing sales trends.
The end result was a combination of an upscale fashion accessory boutique experience, value-oriented price points, a broad selection to suit any personal consumer aesthetic and a merchandising scheme based on color instead of category. So, if a shopper was looking to accessorize a red outfit, she could very easily find all of her accessory options in red. Charming Charlie was positioned to be a consumer success and a complement to other retailers, creating a universal fit in most shopping centers and malls.
Charming Charlie, the Houston fashion accessory boutique, began their expansion across Texas in 2006 and now has over 55 stores in 14 states mainly across the southeastern United States.
Charming Charlie
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