O Mo Mo! Moves Downtown Bend

After four years in business, O Mo Mo!, an independent and locally owned business, is relocating from the Old Mill to downtown Bend. To celebrate the move, O Mo Mo! is hosting a party in its new space on Friday, October 5 at 5pm, with DJ Prajekt and rap stars Cloaked Characters.

O Mo Mo! is excited to join other successful independent boutiques downtown. The new space located on Bond Street, next to Zante Salon and formerly Patagonia, is 1,834 square feet. The new space is double the size of O Mo Mo!’s former showroom space in the Old Mill.

“We’ve outgrown our space in the Old Mill,” says Monica Brown, owner of O Mo Mo! “The move affords us the opportunity to expand the inventory of current brands our customers love, as well as add new brands to the O Mo Mo! collection.”

O Mo Mo! will increase its selection of existing lines such as Free People, It! Jeans and Steve Madden. It will carry new brands such as Jet, James Perse and Rory Beca. This spring, O Mo Mo! will introduce swimsuits from Insight, a new Australian brand.

“We’ve worked really hard to find brands that are trendy, high quality and caters to the lifestyle in Bend,” says Brown. “We have a distinct look that’s feminine, romantic and modern. We search high and low for American-made clothes and locally made accessories.”

O Mo Mo! is guided by its aim to do much more than simply move merchandise. “We are on a constant quest to find the coolest, hottest, sweetest clothes and accessories that is a standout in any woman’s wardrobe,” says Brown. “We strive to make sure our customers get lots and lots of compliments!”

O Mo Mo! Thrives Despite Recession

Starting a business at the beginning of an economic crisis doesn’t seem like a smart business plan, but O Mo Mo! has succeeded and stayed in business despite the odds. According to the US Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy, 30 percent of new businesses close within two years. Factor in the most damaging economic conditions since the stock market crash of 1929, and these thriving entrepreneurs are rare.

“I think we’re successful because we love what we do,” says Brown. “Our sales associates are personal style consultants and our biggest asset. We really know how to help each individual look fresh, updated and younger. We love to dress women and we do it well!

Even in 2009, as most industries were in a recessionary trough, O Mo Mo!’s revenue rose from the year before. Revenue for 2010, 2011, 2012 steadily grew consecutively. Revenue for 2012 is forecast to rise more than 10 percent.

“It’s exciting to be a part of this community,” says Brown. “We feel established and supported by our loyal customers. We believe our success is a testament of Central Oregon‘s strength and drive to support local businesses. “

O Mo Mo! History as Startup

Certain forces were able to help the budding business. O Mo Mo! survived this challenging climate because of an extraordinary passion and an obsessive commitment to building a strong business and serving its customers with a long-term view.

O Mo Mo!’s growth is guided by continually catering to its customers’ wants and needs. As a small independent business, O Mo Mo! is able to tailor its merchandise quickly to the trends of the day as well as the lifestyle of its customers.

“The past four years has been an exercise in building our brand identity,” says Brown. “We could not have done this without getting to know our customers. Now we feel we have a strong and distinct identity that is a perfect fit with Central Oregonians. You could say, it’s been on-the-job training.”

“We’ve been testing the waters for some time now to see how far we can push fashion in Central Oregon and we’ve found our sweet spot,” says Brown. “Now we’re taking that knowledge we’ve harvested and building on it. It’s been a fun experience for sure.”

The most powerful reason that customers return to O Mo Mo! is the uniqueness, quality and affordability of its goods. O Mo Mo!’s loyal customers enjoy buying small-scale produced goods that they cannot find anywhere else at affordable prices.

“Many of the small labels we carry produce small runs of styles so you won’t see people wearing your dress anywhere,” says Brown. “We also go the extra mile to support lines that employ our workers here. We strongly support small brands that design and manufacture most of their clothes in America.”

Moving downtown is the next step in increasing awareness of O Mo Mo! and improving its image.

O Mo Mo! began catering to a younger demographic but has matured over the years to tailor its fashion to a more varied demographic.

“We’re excited to shed the LED lights and neon signs for hardwood floors and brick,” says Brown. “It’s like we’re growing up a bit. But we’re still going to play house techno!”

Future of O Mo Mo!

In the near future, O Mo Mo! will open new locations in Portland and Seattle while also launching an e-commerce site. The plan is to stay small and continue to fine tune its highly selective collection but also make shopping with O Mo Mo! more convenient for its out-of-town customers.

“For years, our customers have been begging us to open in Portland and Seattle,” says Brown.

“They love the uniqueness of our clothes and accessories and the special combination of handselected styles. Making our stuff accessible to buy is one of our biggest goals going forward.”