Meet Whitney Robinson of Gypsy Feather

Today we’d like to introduce you to Whitney Robinson. 

Hi Whitney, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I was living in Austin, TX, and came out to Encinitas to visit a friend for her birthday back in 2018. I met my now-husband that weekend and eventually moved out here to start a new chapter in my life. Gypsy Feather was a passion project that turned into a success and has grown from there. We started off by doing only handmade crystal jewelry and some fun boho jumpers and have now expanded into a full line of athletic and athleisure wear for women. We also carry boutique clothing and lots of fun gifts. 

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Nothing is a smooth road. There are always hard times and things you need to work through. For starters, I started my business in December 2019 – right before COVID. I was all set up for tons of pop-ups and street fairs to get my name out and it all came crashing down when the world came to a halt. 

I had to pivot and keep my head above water by moving the majority of my business to the internet. I knew nothing about building a website, handling inventory, or running numbers, but I spent my quarantine time at home working and learning all of that information. I created a website, began to market on social media, and the sales started to come in. I still kept my 100-SF location which was open by appointment only. 

In July 2019, I saw an opportunity to expand Gypsy Feather into carrying a women’s athletic line. I wanted to create a space where you could go in and have tons of choices, all different colors and prints, and lots of matching sets, and not spend an arm and a leg. I did my research, ordered a million samples, and began to build the brand. Once the brand was built, I was ready to open a larger location. 

I didn’t realize how difficult it would be to build out and design a boutique. I had fun picking everything out and getting it all together, but the real struggle happened when things started arriving that were incorrect. We were already dealing with a big-time delay due to all the covid supply chain issues and having to fix all the little things coming in delayed us even further. 

I laugh about it now but pretty much every single custom-made piece that arrived had to go back for either a revision or correction to make it right. I was ready to pull my hair out. I am not a high-stress person and can handle a lot of stress but man this was testing my patients. Those last few days trying to move everything in and getting it all together were very challenging but I worked through it. I was up at the boutique for 18 hours straight getting everything folded, counted, and into the store and back stock area. I had an opening date set and I wasn’t going to miss it. 

I got it done in time, trained my staff and we opened our doors on Feb 28th. We have now been open a month and are smooth sailing. People are loving the store and I am loving sharing my vision. 

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Gypsy Feather?
Gypsy Feather started off as a passion project. I love to travel and anytime I am in another country I love to find really unique articles of clothing or pieces of jewelry that you wouldn’t find in the states. When I was in Bali, I met a gemologist, and a conversation sparked about collaborating on a crystal jewelry line. That is where Gypsy Feather was born. I came up with the name on an early morning hike up Mt. Batur. It just popped into my head and stuck from there. 

We started with some fun jumpers and lots of really unique crystal jewelry. The business was going well and we were gearing up to do a lot of fun events in 2020. Then covid hit. I had to pivot and roll with the pandemic, which meant moving to a mainly online boutique. During covid, I saw an opportunity to bring on a really fun and unique women’s athletic line. There weren’t any stores that carried a lot of matching sets, lots of prints, or lots of colors. Earth tones were everywhere, but where do you go to find all of the really fun sets besides online? There wasn’t a place around Encinitas. The other problem I saw was that cute matching sets were costing over $200. I wanted to bring on a fun line and keep the prices lower. 

I started sourcing out high-quality fabrics and began to build the athletic line. Little by little, I started to carry more styles, more sets, and more colors. I was able to reopen the doors of my small 100sf space and the athletic apparel was flying off the shelves. An opportunity opened up for me to make a big move into a bigger retail space right on the 101, and I took the leap. It was a long, bumpy road to get this boutique up and running, but it looks so amazing and I am so happy I took the leap. 

Here at Gypsy Feather, we want you to know it is ok to stand out and be yourself. We want you to feel like a queen right when you walk through the door. When designing the interior, we paid attention to every detail. Starting our signature scent that you smell right when you walk through the door and you can’t help but smile at all of the fun wallpaper, murals, and neons. I wanted to create a really fun place to shop. 

We are a one-stop-shop for any workout gear, athleisure wear, fun going out outfits, festival clothing, gifts, jewelry, purses, and so much more. Basically, I wanted to have all of my favorite things in one place and that is what makes Gypsy Feather so much fun. 

Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I believe I am a risk-taker – I started a clothing line during a global pandemic. Covid was a scary time, no one knew what was going to happen to the economy and small businesses were tanking right and left. I saw an opportunity to be able to build up a fun brand during a time of uncertainty. Encinitas was in need of a fun, colorful boutique that carried a little bit of everything. 

I began to spend a lot of time researching and ordering samples. Little by little, I built up what Gypsy Feather is today. I really poured my heart and soul into this business and I love it with all my heart. I love spending time up at the boutique and helping style people in all of the fun clothing and jewelry. 

With high risk brings high reward. I feel like I hit the jackpot of rewards every time I get to walk through the doors at Gypsy Feather. It is my happy place and I love being there. I hope it brings as much joy to everyone who shops here as it does to me. 

Pricing:

• Leggings $70
• Sports Bras $45
• Shorts – $35-$50

Contact Info:

• Email: whitney@gypsy-feather.com
• Website: Gypsy-Feather.com
• Instagram: gypsyfeatherencinitas

Image Credits
Laura Bravo