Owner of Perth clothing shop admits to difficult first year but vows to fight on

A Perth woman who opened a clothing boutique aiming to fill a gap in the city has vowed to fight on despite a challenging first year.

Monika Staszak opened Polka Dot Boutique on Princes Street shortly before Christmas last year.

She said she wanted to fill a void left by several shop closures in the Fair City.

However Monika said it had been a difficult year with the cost-of-living crisis.

Perth boutique’s difficult first year

She said: “It’s not a very promising situation.

“When I opened you could see that people are struggling and not much has changed in the past year.”

She said many people are choosing to shop elsewhere and that Perth has gained a negative reputation after a number of business closures recently.

However she recognises her products are priced higher than some national chains. Monika said shopping centres were also affecting the business.

She added: “There’s not enough footfall in Perth and even if there’s people passing by, they are choosing to shop elsewhere – especially in the charity shops.

“I’ve nothing against that, people are just choosing cheaper options.

“It’s hard to compete against big shopping centres, especially when the weather is bad because you can walk in there and get what you need without battling against the weather.”

Polka Dot Boutique support from regulars

While she admitted her products will not be “everyone’s cup of tea”, she has been encouraged by the support from a band of regular customers.

“Having the support of the regular customers has been great. Some of them come in every week, some who don’t live in Perth come every time they’re in the city.

“Some of them have been supporting me since I opened.

“I’m hoping next year is slightly better than this.”

Monika admitted she is debating whether to launch an online arm to the business to help her compete, but insists she will only do so if in-person sales don’t pick up.

“I’m still trying to work out whether I’m going to go online.

“I don’t really know if I want to do that. I’ll need to see how January and February go if I’m forced to go online.”

Perth businesswoman vows to fight on

Monika, who also runs Japanese restaurant Koku Shi Perth, said that has also noticed a slump in trade.

“I can really see a difference even from the first year after the lockdown. We are much quieter.”

But she vowed not to close the doors to Polka Dot Boutique.

“I’ll never close the shop,” she insisted.

“This is my passion and I love what I do. It’s not about the amount of sales, it’s more about the customer service and having those regular customers.

“I don’t regret it because I do love what I do, but I hope next year is better – not just for me, for all businesses.”