Startup spotlight: Garmentory wants to bring independent boutiques online

Independently owned boutiques, with small teams and limited technology resources, have largely been left behind in the age of e-commerce. While Farfetch caters to the affluent online luxury boutique shopper, and has raised $300 million dollars in funding to do so, the younger, entry-level luxury shopper is largely left out of Farfetch’s exclusive price points.

Enter Garmentory, launched in 2014 by former boutique owner Adele Tetangco and co-founder Sunil Gowda. The Seattle-based startup works with boutiques and small designers to help them clear out inventory by selling it online to a global audience. Its items fall in the $75 to $500 range. It now works with 300 boutiques and small designers in the U.S. and Canada, compiling clothing, accessories and shoes that are about to go out of stock into one online store. It helps the boutiques style their items for an online audience, provides free shipping and return labels for the boutiques to fulfill the orders, and in exchange, takes an undisclosed cut of each sale.