Ever since I met Kelly of Park Alley (a super cute mobile fashion truck) at a wholesale show in Las Vegas I have been dying to interview her.

I remember the moment she walked up to my booth at the tradeshow, she was friendly, fully of energy, straight to the point and I could tell she was a woman on a mission. When I found out that she was located in Palo Alto (also known as the South Bay in the greater San Francisco Bay Area) I was even more excited about the potential of being carried in her boutique { opening Saturday, November 3rd! }. 

Kelly was doing her first walk through of the show so we had a little meet and greet and then she was off to see the other brands. The next day Kelly came back to my booth right before she had to leave for the airport and placed her first order with us and I was over the moon excited. I love working with female entrepreneurs and was honored to be selected as the jewelry brand that would be represented in her mobile boutique.

Park Alley is launching this Fall in the Bay Area so make sure to follow along with her on Instagram @shopparkalley and check out her website in the meantime to see what designers she's carrying on board. 

So happy to introduce you all to Kelly and give you an insight into the inspiration behind Park Alley, the purpose behind why she's doing what she's doing and her advice for up and coming entrepreneurs! 

xoxo, Katie 

Everyone, meet Kelly of Park Alley!

1. Hi Kelly! Thank you so much for taking the time to let me interview you amidst the hustle and bustle of opening up Park Alley! Please introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about you and what you did before starting Park Alley.

Thanks Katie! I knew from the minute I saw your work that I wanted to be a part of whatever it was that you were creating. I’m so excited to represent Katie Dean at Park Alley.

I grew up understanding style as a primary language, as my mom and aunt are two of the most fashion forward people I’ve ever known. Clothing, fabric, textures, and design have been ingrained in me for as long as I can remember. When I was a little girl, I would not only lay out my clothes the night before school, but also take polaroids of each outfit—down to the socks, bow, and earrings. I was basically one super computer, and maybe a fabulous fashion montage away from being an 80s Cher Horowitz.

I realized at a very young age that fashion is more than any single look, but a way of tapping into my inner expression and creativity. Fashion was never intimidating for me, but a thing to explore, and be inspired by. I got to experience this first hand working in my mom and aunt’s boutique as a teen. Growing up working in the store, I saw my mom and aunt bring their own unique, vibrant approach to all the women at their shop. It was personal. When we styled them, there was something that happened emotionally—you could see it in their faces in the mirror. Suddenly, these women were able to access parts of themselves that were more confident, sexy, and true to their own happiness. And this was all due to a fresh look and the just right color combination. What’s better than that? This really planted a seed for me, that fashion was a way of helping someone feel powerful. As a teen, I absolutely loved the idea of having a vision, going on a buying trip with my mom and aunt, and then bringing it all back to this amazing community of women who were looking for something to help them not only feel grounded in themselves, but stand out in the world.

2. What inspired you to start Park Alley? And how long did it take between the idea to actual execution of starting the business? (would love to know if you remember the moment that you had the idea or any behind the scenes details on this!)

Park Alley wasn’t born overnight. I always knew I wanted to create my own retail concept, but after having babies I knew I needed something that would be more flexible with my schedule. I turned to style consulting because it was something I knew I could do in the hours my boys were at school—or even sleeping in a car seat! (#Momlife.) All I needed to create a vision for a client was a quick meeting and a trip through her closet in order to understand the way she lives, what’s working—and more importantly, what’s not. Together, we’d make a budget and off I’d go to the stores I knew carried the vibe and fit she was looking for. Styling gave me the opportunity to have a personalized experience with each woman I worked with, and I knew that I wanted to bring this element into my next big move.

Once my boys started school full time, I was ready for a bigger retail concept where I could control inventory but still have the flexibility I needed. I wasn’t sure what that was going to look like until I was down in Malibu visiting a friend. Her neighbor had this fashion truck, Runaway Runway. It was the best thing I’d ever seen. We shopped, had a full on dish sesh with the ladies on board—it was a blast! Seriously the cutest thing. I can’t remember the last time I’d had such a chill time shopping. It was fun, social, and totally at my convenience. When I walked off the truck, my head was spinning because I knew I had found my next big thing.

When I got home, I worked with my dad to figure out a lot of the business aspects, since this concept was different than a brick and mortar, but also not quite a “food truck.” Together, we found a great group online called the Fashion Truck Tribe who hosted discussion groups, including tips and tricks, as well as trucks for sale. That was really helpful, as it kind of gave me a blueprint that I could tweak and adjust to my own dream concept. As for the truck! I looked high and low, and after a few close calls, I finally found the “ONE.” It was definitely a whirlwind! I bought it on the way to the airport heading to Italy—I literally wired the money from an Uber. It was a crazy experience, and a bit out of my price range, but honestly I knew that the truck was going to be a fundamental piece of the whole experience, and it had to be right. I was so relieved to have that in place, because it made Park Alley feel real, and because I was one big step closer to making this all happen.

3. Can you share the process of what it was like putting all the elements into place for your boutique? How did you do it?! Were excel spreadsheets and Pinterest your best friend or was it more of a fly by the seat of your pants plan?

FLY BY THE SEAT OF MY PANTS! Once Park Alley was conceived, the wheels on this truck literally wouldn’t stop turning. It’s been a process of talking with my community and family, supplemented by late nights with my bffs and big glasses of wine.

The first step was to pay attention. To really look around at the market, and listen to people’s experiences in order to understand what they actually needed in terms of a shopping experience. The more I listened, the more I started to realize what we have, what we don’t, and who would benefit from this kind of retail concept. People are constantly on the go these days, with no time to drive from shop to shop, or manage the growing pile of online returns. Enter Park Alley, a mobile boutique that offers the convenience of a real-time Instacart, but with expert advice, resulting in a look that fits, works, and slays. Customers get to take advantage of the low overhead, a first look at what's soon to be hot, and the experience—amaze! It's next-level pop-up, with a stylist to boot. My goal for Park Alley is to provide my community chic, personalized shopping where customers can discover their latest fashion moment, find something new, and even share the experience with their besties.

Supported by my amazing family and friends, and having learned directly from my mom and aunt’s experience—and sometimes mistakes—with their brick and mortar boutique, I felt ready to take Park Alley to the next level. I started working with Personify, a branding firm, to help strategize my look, tone, and focus—and voila, here we are.

4. What’s your vision for Park Alley? Are you staying local to Palo Alto or will people be seeing you in the greater California area?

I’m focused on the Bay Area for now. I’m always looking for an excuse to visit California’s other incredible areas, so I’m potentially open to different locations and road trips in the future—but for now I’m excited to serve the communities where I have a strong network. Maybe my shoppers follow us on Twitter to see where we’re posting up that day. Maybe they catch Park Alley as they’re walking out of their favorite coffee shop—could life get any better? Or maybe they schedule Park Alley for personal style consulting, or even a shopping sesh for a girl’s day out—and perhaps a bottle or two of rosé (who’s counting?).

As I work through a few seasons, I’ll have a better sense of the market and age demographics I want to really dive into. I’d love to cater to a wide age range, as I have lots of friends with teenagers who are both at a loss for style. They are ready to be done with the black yoga pants, but are still stuck in an early 2000’s Abercrombie moment. I want Park Alley to be a destination for both teens AND their moms looking for their next fierce look.

5. Lastly, do you have any advice for up and coming entrepreneurs? What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned so far?

Find your crew! It’s all about who you work with. You need a loyal team and a supportive community who isn’t afraid to give it to you straight—but who are also there to lift your chin and help you remember the dream. There have been plenty of challenges on this road and I know there will be more, but I’m lucky to have a solid crew who is always here to remind me that this truck isn’t going to drive itself. For me, it’s all about focusing on the parts of the business that I love—buying, styling, and working with rad women—and putting the right people in place to help with the other facets of the company. Keep on truckin’.