Interview with Carol Gowling: Founder of On Cloud 9

Written by Stacy Sun on Saturday, 20 May 2023. Posted in Interviews

Photo by Carol Gowling On Cloud 9


Carol Gowling is the founder of On Cloud 9, a girl’s designer boutique in Potomac, Maryland that has been in business for more than 20 years. Despite having little experience with entrepreneurship prior to operating this boutique, Gowling has transformed On Cloud 9 into a highly successful clothing store that many locals know and love. 

Girls for Business had the privilege of interviewing Carol Gowling and asking her about her personal experiences with founding On Cloud 9. 

Q: What inspired you to create On Cloud 9?

Gowling explains that her early experiences in retail largely came from this boutique— she came from an accounting background and was a former Marriott director of human resources. On Cloud 9’s early beginnings started with her love for her four daughters in elementary and middle school. Often taking her kids on New York trips to the clothing department store Lester’s, she was inspired by the need for children’s clothing boutiques, an approach unique from the department store sector. The name of the store came from Gowling’s visit to showrooms, where there were often as many as 15 lines of apparel. She remarked that the kids felt like “they were on cloud 9”, where the name was born.

Q: What is the brand image of On Cloud 9?

On Cloud 9 offers selections of clothing that are trendy and have a high-end look at an affordable price. Because of vendor exclusivity and its boutique style, the store sells apparel that can’t necessarily be found online. Gowling also mentions that she tries to keep their selection unique through finding inspiration in her customers; the advantages of being a local community base is that she knows her customers and clients and they are willing to provide feedback. More specifically, she tries to focus on the local Jewish community through offering bar and bat mitzvah dresses and specialty summer camp items. Ultimately, Gowling aims to keep an ear out for her customer needs. 

Q: What sets On Cloud 9 apart from other businesses in this field? 

Gowling highlights that On Cloud 9’s longevity has given her an advantage that other boutiques might not have. Being around for more than 20 years, On Cloud 9 has developed a loyal following and grown with their customers; they’ve seen their customers go from shopping for themselves to shopping for their children. In the past, On Cloud 9 solely carried children's clothes. Now, the boutique has expanded to cater to clothing for infants and juniors and follows the trends in these subsequent age categories. The store’s clothing selection is also chosen based on Gowling’s own personal life—she mentions that On Cloud 9 carries more baby and toddler clothing because she now has grandchildren. 

Q: What is a typical workday like at On Cloud 9?

“There is no typical day,” Gowling explains. Because there are constantly different customer profiles coming in (high schoolers, new mothers, etc), every day varies at On Cloud 9. In terms of ensuring operations run smoothly, Gowling ultimately prioritizes maintaining the physical appearance of the boutique. Throughout each week, she opens and puts out new merchandise, determines pricing and inventory, and changes out the window display. When it comes to buying from vendors for her boutique, she travels to New York. Gowling explains that talking to vendors and keeping up on the latest styles are integral in curating the boutique’s clothing selection. When choosing vendors, she considers customer suggestions, gets recommendations from other vendors, and closely analyzes trends and popular fashion boutiques in New York.  

Q: How were you first introduced to business? What motivated you to pursue a career in business? 

Gowling was inspired by her kids and their shared love for fashion. While she thought owning a clothing boutique would be a fun hobby at the time, she now admits that her belief was naive. During store setup, workdays were 12-14 hours, and merchandising/vendor selection were largely trial and error. Even so, Gowling believes that her efforts were rewarding and appreciates the on-the-job training that allowed her to make On Cloud 9 the boutique it is today. 

Q: What are words of advice for girls who would like to start their own business? 

While Gowling believes that it is a lot more work than many people expect, she also agrees that the growth is highly rewarding. She highlights that having a strong, cooperative, and supportive team is extremely important in managing communications and allowing businesses to run smoothly. In addition, she recommends catering to one’s community needs—Gowling especially places emphasis on Montgomery County’s Jewish population through her clothing selection. Aside from this, showcases that spotlight airbrush artists, fashion shows at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and back-to-school fashion shows that were featured on Fox 5 have allowed On Cloud 9 to give back to their community in a multitude of ways.  

 

About the Author

Stacy Sun

Stacy Sun

Stacy is a Business Education Writer at Girls For Business.

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