After a successful career in corporate America, Emily Rhodin has embarked on her dream of owning her own business. As the owner of two Scout & Molly’s boutiques – including the newly opened location in Sawgrass Village – she has traded the staid world of accounting for the flair of the fashion world. She lives in Ponte Vedra with her husband, Patrick, kids Ella and Noah, and their three cats and three dogs.
What type of merchandise does Scout & Molly’s offer?
We are a women’s clothing and accessories boutique, but that barely scratches the surface. In addition to clothes and jewelry you will always find a fun selection of shoes, purses and new accessories. We offer such a wide range of types of clothing and styles. Our clothing can be fashion forward or a little more conservative and can be paired differently for many different looks. It covers many occasions, including active wear, Saturday casual, date night, business casual and dressy evenings out. Additionally, we love to support our local entrepreneurs: We’re currently offering four local jewelry artists and we’re always looking to bring in new arrivals from the local community. As a Jacksonville native, I want to support our local community in any way I can.
How did you come to open Scout & Molly’s?
I have always longed to own a business of my own. For 17 years I had an amazing career in accounting and risk management. Last summer, I took a leap of faith and ventured into new waters. I had looked at many existing businesses over the last few years but none were the perfect fit. When I happened upon the Scout & Molly’s franchise, something just seemed right. I love fashion and the idea of starting from scratch was appealing but the franchise gave me some support and guidance in the areas that were outside of my expertise.
Is the Sawgrass Village location your first – and do you plan to expand?
Sawgrass Village was actually our second location. We opened Sawgrass Village on April 23, just on the heels of our location in San Marco Square, which opened on March 5. When I purchased the rights to the Scout & Molly’s franchise, I obtained exclusivity in the Greater Jacksonville market and plan to open five locations over the next few years. Where store number three will be located is still to be determined, but I will be excited when we can bring great fashion to another area of our community.
To what sort of woman would Scott & Molly’s appeal?
We are here for the woman who enjoys feeling good in her attire and being a little fashion forward and fun within her comfort zone. Our target demographic is the 30- to 55-year-old woman, but we really appeal to a broader range from the teenager to the woman in her 70s. In our store, we are personal stylists and provide personal shopping experiences to help women of many ages find their style and mix and match pieces in different ways based on their individuality and age. Most importantly, we want our customers to have fun and find a little something new to make them feel great that day. I think the mission statement developed by my managers describes our customer and our purpose best: “We are here to inspire forever friendships through unforgettable fashion. This is US...so nice to meet YOU.”
How would you describe your own personal style?
I love fashion and with that, I love to change my style from day to day. I would say the best way to describe my style is classic, with some edge and flair. My favorite article of clothing is a great pair of jeans. If I could wear them every day I would, and I do 80 percent of the time now that I am a boutique owner instead of an accountant in corporate America. I love them dressed up with heels and a dressy blouse, I love them with a tee and blazer. Or my favorite as we are entering fall (in Florida), is with a graphic tank, scarf and booties.
Are there any new fashion trends this season that customers will see in Scout & Molly’s?
There’s always something new in the fashion world or a twist on an existing trend. A few of our favorites for the fall and holiday season, all of which you will find in the store, are plaid, fur, boots, ruffles and off-the-shoulder anything. Plaid is a hit and you will find it in more feminine tones on both tops and dresses. Fur continues to be on trend in both real and faux. You will find fur in vests, on purses, and in all kinds of accessories. Off-the- shoulder and ruffle anything works from tops to dresses, dressy and casual. And who isn’t ready to break out the boots? This year, booties or to the knee are hot. From a color trend perspective, the merlot/wine/Bordeaux family continues to be the color of the season and the color can be seen from headbands to shoes and everything in between.
How do you enjoy spending your free time?
“Free time” is a little bit of a misnomer when you open two stores within six weeks of one another and have two very busy children at home! Most of my afternoons and evenings when I’m not working are spent running kids to dance, basketball and baseball. The spare time I do have is mostly before the sun comes up or just as it is peeking through and is spent running with a couple of very dear girlfriends, training for my eighth marathon. Running is the best form of relaxation, especially when you have the ear of a friend or two along for a few uninterrupted miles. I also love to spend a few moments with my puppies or curling up on the couch, binge watching a couple of episodes of something fabulous on Netflix with my hubby.
