From a Jacksonville flea market to the Vegas Strip: Retired veteran transforms small business into upmarket fashion boutique

Introduction

This story is about pursuing your aspirations and the determination required for success.

Richard Clark, a retired US Air Force veteran and Jacksonville resident, graduated from William M. Raines High School in 1991 and served for 23 years. After retiring, he moved to Jacksonville and launched a modest jewelry business, selling products at local flea markets with his wife, Clare Skinner, and daughter, Persia.

“My wife came up with the idea to start some sort of small business,” Clark explained in an interview. “So we started at the flea market, and then from there, we spent like a year, you know, selling the jewelry, the leggings, me sitting in the back of the truck with her ( daughter) and my wife moving mannequins around.”
Within a year, he expanded to pop-up boutiques at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, which he continued for four years.
The real voyage began when Clark and his family vacationed in Las Vegas.

His experience 

We went to Circus Circus and saw this lady with her store there, and my wife said, “Why can’t we do that?” Clark stated. When they got home from their trip, they hit the ground running.
“We came back to Jacksonville full of excitement. We devised a strategy and decided we needed to show them something. She contacted Caesars Palace, MGM, the Palms Hotel, and every other gambling hotel and resort in Las Vegas. We were getting comments, so we sat down together to figure out what we needed to improve,” Clark said.

Clark and Skinner opened a store in Fort Lauderdale’s Galleria Mall to entice Las Vegas business owners.

Clark claimed they did the entire Las Vegas store alone. There are no contractors, just the three of them and the occasional help of friends and relatives. Clark thanked his mother and father, uncles and aunts, and friends Valdez Hill and Rod Farris for their support.

The family said they are saving money to open a store in Caesars Palace. Still, they are working hard at their current location to establish themselves, pay off bills, and differentiate themselves from the competition.

Clark stated that possibilities are always pouring in, and they hope that people will show up to support the business. He hopes that everyone who travels will visit Mahruyeh.com. The family enjoys providing an excellent client experience, having a positive spirit and mood, and showing compassion.

Clark’s – future

“We’re just a very normal family, and we’re doing the best we can out here,” Clark told me. “I want to beg the public just to show us their support. That is what we need. That’s exactly what we need right now to expand our brand. That is the stage we are at.

Clark believes in a bright future and can picture his store in various locations.