PrintNothing But Blue Sky in Refugio
When Blue Sky opened in 2003, Cody Walker was the first customer to walk through the door. After one look at the cowgirl chic fashions, Walker was determined to work there. “I had never worked retail,” she recalls. “I just wanted that job because I love people and I love fashion.” One month later, she was hired. Three years after that, she bought the store.
Walker’s love of women’s fashions with a Western flair helped Blue Sky double its business. The store routinely stocks trendy and classic apparel and accessories from such brands as Double D Ranch, Vintage Collection, Western Vintage Revival, Gypsy Soule, Old Gringo, Rocki Gorman, Outlaws in Stones, and Magnolia Pearl. But Walker also cites the shop’s Refugio, Texas, location as one of its biggest assets. “Our town is located on Highway 77, which is the gateway between Houston and the Rio Grande Valley,” Walker explains. “We have had 22,000 cars pass by the store in one day.” This prime location makes their outside appearance all the more important. “We did a lot of cosmetic surgery on the store and gave it a Santa Fe look, with murals on the outside and lots of turquoise and copper and terra cotta,” Walker points out. “We hear from people that they were driving by, and that’s why they came in.”
Inside, Walker and her five female employees, dubbed the Blue Sky Girls, provide personal service to every customer. “We strive to have a very welcoming atmosphere,” Walker says. “We always greet them at the door and ask where they’re from.” Soon that warm welcome will also be available on the Web when Blue Sky premieres their new site. “We’re old school,” Walker admits. “Blue Sky started out with a 10-key adding machine for our cash register, and that is what we still use.”
• Info: Blue Sky, 102 E. Purisima St., Refugio, Texas, 361.526.4100, www.discoverbluesky.com
Issue Reference
Issue: Jan 2010
