Ok ladies, here’s another one geared towards you! I know, I know…I need a little more manly content (come back tomorrow…we’ll be talking about beer…). What can I say? I’m a girl that likes pretty things. Today’s guest is C’est Sera, a chain of boutique stores based in Edmonton. My most notable purchase from this store is probably a pair of hot pink shoes that have been known to cause mass hysteria among my gender. I’ll have to admit, they are pretty sweet
I had the pleasure of chatting with the manager of the downtown store, Karen. Man, does she know her stuff or what! I learned a lot in a very short amount of time, and so will you if you keep reading. C’est Sera’s downtown location is dangerously close to my studio at 10125 – 104 st, so pay them a visit sometime soon!
What is C’est Sera?
It’s a clothing and shoe store that caters to a fairly wide range of clientele. The downtown store is women’s clothing, shoes and accessories, but the Whyte Ave store also carries men’s clothing. This store here caters to the downtown business woman and carries sizes 2-16 so we can style many different body types. We also like to focus on small Canadian designers such as Tension from Vancouver and Tavan and Mitto from Montreal. We go to the European brands as well that aren’t well represented here. For example, St. Martins is a brand that does artistic suiting with embroidery and unexpected details. We also carry a great selection of shoes and focus on European designs there as well. We have everything from very out-there shoes to basics that you could wear any day.
What’s the story behind it?
It was Kelly Cliver who started these stores. She’s been in retail for over 20 years now and was a nurse at the same time until 10 years ago when she started C’est Cera. There are three locations, this one downtown, one on Whyte and 104 st and another in the Lendrum shopping centre.
What would you consider the most unique part of what customers experience when they visit you?
Well, I think they experience a lot of honesty with us. I think they appreciate that they get our full on attention without us being just sales oriented. We want people to feel good about what they are wearing. All of the staff also have different personalities in the way we dress and we influence each other in how we mix pieces. We always come up with new ways to style pieces, so if you have something you’ve never been able to wear because you don’t know what to wear it with, you can bring it in and we’ll try a few things.
Why is it that people are so hesitant about shopping local? Why do you think Edmonton is so “Big Box” in general?
I think Canadians are sometimes unsure of who they are and they’re not as proud of local product as much as say someone from Italy. A lot of people just don’t know what amazing quality we have right here. When people visit the city now I take them around to all the local places that are great quality and show them off.
Do you have a favourite designer or brand at the moment?
Part Two is one of my personal favourites, and they are from the Netherlands. I also really enjoy Supertrash…yes, you heard me right. It’s also from the Netherlands, but the designer has spent time in LA, so it’s an interesting combination of styles. What I think she does best is the draping of fabrics. So something may look shapeless on the hanger but when you put it on it fits exactly like it’s supposed to. Her pieces are also easy to dress up or down. Most of our jewelry is also local and handmade.
Where do you think the fashion scene in Edmonton is at?
Most people don’t know this, but we are actually on par with what the fashion industry is doing around the world. I was just in Japan and I didn’t really buy much because I knew I could get everything here. Kelly is a very smart buyer and she’ll bring in items before anyone even knows they want them.
What item could you not live without during the cold winters here in E-town?
I would say layering pieces like leg warmers and sweaters.
Any last words?
C’est Sera is a fun store and everyone seems to like the concept, so come see us.
Thanks Karen! It was nice to chat with someone who is so excited about their career and knows their store inside and out.
Amanda
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