Cox BBA Uses Business Skills, Opens Retro Chic Boutique

Through savvy know-how and a series of fortuitous events, Cox BBA alum Kacky Pritchard pursues her dream of becoming a successful entrepreneur. 

Kacky Pritchard (BBA ’05) credits her Cox education and a series of random occurrences for helping her get to where she is today. The proud co-owner of Kacky & Carl, an up-and-coming boutique in Dallas’ upscale West Village, Pritchard says the key to success is knowing how to identify and take advantage of opportunities whenever they occur.

The old adage that timing is everything may be true, but growing up, Pritchard was convinced she had been born in the wrong time period.  “Since I was a little girl, I have always loved old movies,” she said. “I especially enjoy watching old Frank Sinatra, Doris Day, and Marilyn Monroe classics.  Everyone was so dressed up and glamorous back then.  The women were beautiful and classy and the men were so dapper. It was such a pretty time.”

From the time she was two, Pritchard’s favorite birthday party theme was retro.  When she was eight, she started a “50s Club” where she and her friends would dress up in poodle skirts, listen to their favorite oldies, and drink milk shakes at the Dowap Diner in her hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma.  “I don’t know of any other kids who loved old movies the way I did,” Pritchard jokes.  “I’m not sure I was normal.”

After graduating from Cascia Hall, a preparatory school in Tulsa, Pritchard moved to Dallas to attend SMU. During her sophomore year, Pritchard took her first accounting class with Professor Carolyn Dreher, and she said it was that class that made her want to start a small business.

“I realized that the structure of business is basically what comes in versus what goes out,” Pritchard said. “As long as you have a structure that is bringing in more than is going out, you have a viable and successful business. The ‘bottom line’ is everything, and if you keep that in mind—whether you’re selling clothes, building homes, or running a practice—you can make it a success.”

But what kind of business would she pursue? Something that taps into her vintage nostalgia, of course. One evening, Pritchard was watching “The Thrill of it All” where Doris Day plays a housewife who becomes a famous television personality. During a scene where Day’s character was making ketchup in the kitchen, Pritchard noticed her apron. “I thought, ‘Why don’t people wear aprons anymore?  It adds such a cute little touch.’”  It was then that she decided to start her own apron business. 

Pritchard began making half and full-length aprons in a variety of fabrics from raw silk to whimsical patterns.  She created a Web site, and within one year she had sold over 2,000 aprons. “When I made these aprons, it wasn’t about cutting up chicken,” she said.  “It was more about entertaining and presentation.  I wanted to bring back that feminine, old-fashioned look.”

That Christmas Eve, Pritchard was having dinner with her family at a hotel in Scottsdale, Arizona when designer Kate Spade walked in with her husband, Andy.  At that time Kate Spade was not as well-known or as recognizable as she is today, but Pritchard had long admired her retro look. 

Although she was apprehensive, Pritchard decided to approach Spade and introduce herself.  Her goal, she says, was simply to send Spade an apron so she could use the endorsement.  Pritchard told Spade how highly she thought of her style, and she wrote down the Web address for her aprons.  Three weeks later, Pritchard received a call from Kate Spade herself, offering a summer internship at her flagship store in New York City. Without hesitation, she accepted.   

While working at Kate Spade, Pritchard bonded quickly with the vice president, the head of PR and marketing, and Spade herself.  She worked hard and was rewarded with opportunities that far exceeded those of the typical intern.  For example, Pritchard was lucky enough to accompany Spade to her apartment for a photo shoot with Town & Country.

Although this was all very glamorous, Pritchard said at the end of the day it was still a 9:00 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. job.  She enjoyed the work and the people around her, but she realized that life was all about the bigger picture.  And while she loved New York, Pritchard missed being close to her family and the simple things like driving a car and having grass under her feet instead of concrete. 

Upon graduating from SMU, Pritchard knew she wanted to stay in Dallas.  She began working with the oldest wholesale fashion showroom in Dallas.  Her boss had been in the wholesale fashion industry for more than 35 years, and he took the time to teach her the ins and outs of the business.  In addition, she made friends with Lisa Barnes, an SMU alumna from the Class of 1997.  After working together for a year, Barnes and Pritchard decided it was time to branch out and start their own business, Kacky & Carl.   

“Without my boss’s experience, my Cox degree, and a perfect business partner, there is no way I would have been willing and ready to go out on my own to open Kacky & Carl,” said Pritchard.  “But I have always had the drive to run my own show.  It’s great to be able to run the business, the creative, and the marketing side of the store, especially when it is all about your passion.”

Opening in September, Kacky & Carl combines Pritchard’s love for old-fashioned femininity with Barnes’ fashion-forward style. The store will feature reasonably priced dresses and skirts, one-of-a-kind custom and vintage furniture, home furnishings and gift items, original artwork, various vintage items for sale on consignment, and, of course, a selection of the aprons that started it all.

“I was never the girl in college who would go out and spend $400 on a top to wear for the weekend,” said Pritchard.  “And I’ve seen it all from the wholesale side.  Even those expensive name brand items arrive in brown boxes, land on the floor, and get schlepped around. I even think they’re all made in the same place. We want to sell cute clothes for a reasonable price.”

Pritchard describes the clothing as classy and modern; nothing “in-your-face or too trendy.”  The furniture and artwork are all one-of-a-kind quality pieces, for people who can’t afford extremely expensive things, she says, but are tired of the same things from Z Gallery, Crate & Barrel, and Pottery Barn.

The unique business is already generating tremendous buzz with features in Lucky magazine and The Dallas Morning News.

Pritchard advises aspiring entrepreneurs not to be pushy, but not to be afraid to just get out there.  She says, “Go up to the Kate Spades of the world and tell them who you are, what you want, and that you’ll take any advice they have to offer. No matter how many accolades, businesses, or employees a person has, they are still just a person like you and your parents. Approach them with respect and see if something, somewhere down the line, comes of it.”

Andrea Hugg
Communications Department, Cox School of Business

Back to newsletter...