Monday, October 25, 2010

About Ruche and the Creators

I was finally able to update our "About Us" page. Check out how Josh and I started Ruche!





Ruche was created and designed in 2008 by Mai Olivo and Josh Olivo, with our furry companion Roji.



Ruche was not something that grew overnight. In 2005, as a hobby, we sold vintage inspired beaded sandals on ebay.
Like all fashion crazes, the demand for these quickly faded, but Mai continued to search for new items she liked.



As recent graduates and newlyweds, budget was always a big issue. Mai always had a difficult time finding affordable and unique clothing that was "her" style!
That was when she started to sell clothing and jewelry that she loved.
What was a hobby back in 2005 turned into a dream come true in 2008. With a degree in Computer Science and Web Development, Mai created and designed ShopRuche.com.
Ruche was a hobby that we worked on after our regular 8-5 jobs, and like most businesses, started right out of our home.
We would ship during lunch and answer emails during break time. Everyday after work, we came home and played with Ruche until the wee hours of night,
slept a few hours and went back to our day jobs dead tired hehe. Ruche took over our living room, bedroom, garage, and eventually the kitchen counter.
We sacrificed much and finally took a risk, Mai left her job as a web developer and Josh left his engineering management position to run Ruche full time. Leaving our budding careers in the corporate world was nerve racking, but it was the best decision we've made together, plus we could finally get some sleep!





Through trial and error along with inspirations we have collected through the years, we molded Ruche into what it is today - "a vintage inspired boutique with a modern touch".
Ruche is a collaboration of everything that has inspired us - fashion, photography, design, and lifestyle.



We pride ourselves in excellent customer service because we treat every visitor as our friend. Please know that there are real people behind the website and
we always put ourselves in the position of our customers, as we too, are customers elsewhere. We understand how it feels like to anxiously wait for a package,
how happy we are when something is better than pictured online, or how upset we would be when that item came damaged or in the wrong size. Josh and I still
answer emails from time to time, we love what we do! We live and breath Ruche (although it is nice to take a vacation from time to time hehe).
As an independent boutique, we cherish the opportunity to support small boutique brands and indie designers. Nothing feels better than the ability to support
working people to do what they love. Josh and I are blessed to do what we love and we owe it to all those who have loved and supported Ruche thus far.




As Ruche grows we will always keep our prices reasonable and strive for fun and friendly service. We wish for you to always feel at home when you visit Ruche.
We hope you stay a while and grow with us! Thank you for your love and support.
We love comments, feedbacks, and suggestions.
Please feel free to contact us!








--A Special Thanks to all the talented people that we have worked with, our amazing Ruche team, Stephanie Williams and Issac -your friendship and breathtaking photos.






Photos by Stephanie Williams