Meet the owner of C.U.T.E: Vanita Baugh

Owner Vanita Baugh was featured on 
RichmondBizsense.com: 
http://www.richmondbizsense.com/2014/08/29/pair-of-retailers-targets-libbie-vcu-shoppers/

Article written by.  Michael Thompson

In Ram country, Vanita Baugh has a new shop that’s going after the VCU market.

Her retail and consignment shop, Cute Unique Trendy Essentials, or C.U.T.E., opened last month at 518A W. Grace St.

Baugh sells women’s apparel out of the 900-square-foot store. Consigners get 40 percent of whatever their items sell for at the shop.

C.U.T.E. is Baugh’s second Richmond retail venture.Photo by Michael Thompson.

“The target market over here is pretty much college students,” Baugh said.

Baugh, 43, said she has a five-year lease on the former hair salon space. She said it cost $15,000 of her personal savings to open C.U.T.E.

The shop is one of the few non-convenience store Grace Street retailers on the eastern side of Belvidere near VCU. Its next door neighbor is a convenience store, there’s a Commonwealth Catholic Charities branch across the street and a gas station on the other side of Belvidere.

Baugh said foot traffic has been good with college students back in town. She said she plans to hold events for guest retailers to set up shop in C.U.T.E. Baugh has four VCU fashion majors interning at her store and more than 20 years of retail experience.

In addition to working at Nordstrom, Baugh owned My Closet-Your Treasures at 525 Lakeside Ave. before closing the consignment shop after four years.

With C.U.T.E. open in Richmond, Baugh said she’ll look to open her next location in her hometown.

“My next stop will probably be New York,” she said.