Ansley Blake ’24 is a senior Business major from Lake Jackson, Texas. She is also earning minors in AgriFood Sales and Agribusiness Entrepreneurship. She plans to graduate this May.

Ansley has spent the last nine months developing her AGEC 425 project, a clothing boutique. Her boutique focuses on high-end clothing, shoes, jewelry, and handbags for both professional events and casual wear. She chose this style for two reasons: she draws her inspiration from events such as New York Fashion Week and she wishes to differentiate herself from the preppy and western-focused boutiques that are dominant in Texas.  

“I want to create a clothing boutique that gives the feeling of a classic, chic, and elegant style.”

Her boutique, appropriately named “Fifth Avenue”, is located in Katy, Texas. While she is planning for a storefront, she also will have a website that will allow for national shipping to reach a wider audience. Ansley plans to market her products in a way that will reach both teenage girls, as well as grown adult women. She believes that fashion has no age limit, and she believes in offering timeless clothing, pieces that are made to last. Ansley's inspiration for choosing a boutique as her AGEC-425 project came from working at a boutique where she saw how her boss was able to share her love for fashion with others. Seeing how her boss was able to help women feel confident in themselves prompted Ansley to find a way to encourage women to look and feel their best.

Throughout this past semester, Ansley says her biggest challenge has been understanding the financial analysis side of the project, as well as understanding the feasibility of her project. She credits her success in the class to the mentors she met in the Mentoring Forum. Ansley was able to get connected with a mentor who owns a boutique and has offered Ansley a new perspective on her project. With her new knowledge about how saturated the clothing market is, Ansley is planning innovative ways to differentiate herself and to best market her store.

Ansley does not wish to only help women feel their best, she also hopes to give back to her community. She hopes to have her business involved in local philanthropies and give back through profit shares, giveaways, and more. Being hands-on is one of the most important things for Ansley, as she wants to get to know each customer.

Before going through the Agribusiness Entrepreneurship program, Ansley believed that an entrepreneur was just someone who owned their own business. She says she now understands that it is much more than that, “An entrepreneur is someone that creates their opportunities and wants to succeed.” Ansley also now understands the importance of time management and adaptability as an entrepreneur. Throughout the last two semesters, she has had to learn how to better manage her time while avoiding burnout. Although it was not always easy, she believes that this program is a true reflection of what she would have to go through if she were to open this business.

Once Ansley graduates next month, she plans to enter the workforce. She is currently looking for a job in either sales or finance. She is planning to work for 5-10 years before opening Fifth Avenue. She hopes to save money for her boutique, as well as work under different managers to help her continue to learn and grow before she becomes a business owner. Ansley and her business will be participating in the Preliminary Business pitch at the end of April.