Sarah Cativo Sarita Chiquita Boutique
By Katie Larsen

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Opening a clothing and accessories boutique was always a dream for Sarah Cativo. As a little girl, she frequented the small boutiques located on Thayer Street in Providence with her mom, one day imagining having one of her own. In 2003, this dream became a reality. Sarah, a former special events coordinator for the Fashion Group New York with 10 years of experience in fashion, opened Sarita Chiquita Boutique in scenic College Hill, Rhode Island. After years of working for other people, Sarah wanted to focus on “making her own dreams come true.” She decided she wanted to establish a home base where she could sell apparel and also have the ability to design her own.

Once Sarah had developed her vision she turned to the Center for Women & Enterprise for help. Sarah participated in the thirteen week long “Power Up” business planning course. During this program she took the first step in admitting she was ready to open her own business.

When embarking upon this business venture she discovered she was pregnant with her first child. Being pregnant changed Sarah’s strategy when it came to marketing her boutique. She focused on word of mouth and other forms of promotion to build a strong client base. In 2004, Sarah gave birth to a daughter, Stella. Since Stella was two weeks old she has accompanied her mother in the boutique. Sarita Chiquita is located right around the corner of Thayer Street on the East Side of Providence. Being just off the “beaten path” allows her the flexibility to close the store if her daughter is sick and her clients are always understanding.

Sarita Chiquita offers women’s clothing and accessories (such as purses and jewelry). The boutique also offers private shopping sessions for groups. Sarah’s goal is to provide her customers with a pleasant shopping experience, sometimes offering music, food, and drink. Making a point to meet every person who walks through her door, Sarah greets her clients on a friendly first name basis. This unique concept enables her boutique to survive in the era of monopolization of big name retail stores. Sarah’s goal for the future is to expand her boutique to feature a larger product line in a larger retail space.

When Sarah is not working in her store she is out in the community participating in a diverse range of fundraising activities. She held a Red Carpet for Red Cross fashion show using styles from her boutique to benefit victims of Hurricane Katrina and she worked on an auction to benefit the Leukemia/Lymphoma Society. Sarah wants to give back to the community that has openly welcomed her and her boutique.

When asked to give advise to other aspiring entrepreneurs, Sarah recalls advise from her best friend’s mother, “there are two important things to remember: one, if you are going to be scared then be terrified and two, it is better to be a has been then a never was.” Sarah took this advice and worked extremely hard to start up her business. She may have been terrified in the beginning, but now her successes continue to grow.