Skip to main content

Original text


Powered by Google TranslateTranslate
Powered by Google TranslateTranslate
The peacock room logo
The Peacock Room

The Peacock Room, Rachel Lutz

Title / Role: Owner
Location: Detroit, Michigan
Formed in: 2011
www.shoppeacockroom.com
SHARE THIS SUCCESS STORY
My successes.

Detroit was one of the areas hit hardest by the Great Recession. The auto industry that held the city together was hanging on by a thread. The town went from being one of the biggest in the nation to having a population less than Columbus, OH. Normally this wouldn’t be the backdrop for a SCORE Success Story, but that is exactly what happened when Rachel Lutz found SCORE. Rachel began meeting with SCORE mentors about her idea for a clothing accessory boutique after she opened the doors to the Peacock Room in late 2011. She then attended workshops on Business Plans and Financing. With advice from SCORE and help from friends & family, Rachel was able to turn the Peacock Room into a smashing success in 2012.

The biggest success for Rachel Lutz is becoming her own boss. She believed in herself and took the risk that her vision for a business would pay off. In less than a year she found that she was right. She found a building in mid-town Detroit and has been able to use her storefront to turn a profit that was triple her original projections. By the end of her first year, she is on track to do $330,000 in sales. As 2012 came to an end Rachel had already begun to expand into a neighbouring space with a second store called, "Emerald". The new shop is a gift boutique that carries men's gifts, books, cards, etc. Both stores have become vital parts of the rebuilding mid-town Detroit community. She credits part of her success to working with her SCORE mentors, Henry Moses, and Jim Muir. 

Detroit Free Press May 2017 Peacock Room.pdf

Detroit Free Press August 2017 Peacock Room.pdf

How SCORE helped.

Before starting the Peacock Room, Rachel Lutz worked for a luxury home store and Nordstrom. She had spent years working for others. Eventually, Ms. Lutz decided to be her own boss. After starting her business, the first step to success was to find assistance by coming to SCORE. Rachel was directed to SCORE by a loan officer in her area. 

She met with Henry Moses and Jim Muir and then attended a SCORE workshop on Business Plans. Ms. Lutz wrote up a very good business plan and continued to update it as she went through the start-up process. Finally, while continuing to work with her mentors, she attended a SCORE workshop on Financing for her business. 

 

Using credit cards and interest-free loans from friends and family, Rachel was able to open the doors on the Peacock Room in mid-town Detroit. She took a 2,000-square-foot building in Detroit and turned it into her vision.  With the help of  Facebook and a website, she has promoted her business and is on the way to turning a profit in 2012 that is triple her original projection from her business plan.

 

What's great about my mentor?

Henry Moses and Jim Muir, mentors from the SCORE Detroit chapter, met with Rachel Lutz after she opened the doors to the Peacock Room. Rachel was told about SCORE by a loan officer. A few weeks after opening her business she was face to face with her SCORE mentors, who helped her figure out the best ways to ensure a successful launch. She then began to attend the SCORE Business Plan and Financing workshops. Working with SCORE, Ms. Lutz was able to iron out the wrinkles in her plans for the Peacock Room. With the help of SCORE, she finds herself on the way to a profitable first year. One so successful that she has already begun planning the expansion of the Peacock room into a building the size of the Nordstroms she used to work at. 

CONNECT
1938 Burdette St
}
Ferndale, MI 48220
(248) 313-8863

Copyright © 2024 SCORE Association, SCORE.org

Funded, in part, through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. All opinions, and/or recommendations expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBA.

Chat generously provided by:LiveChat

In partnership with
Jump back to top