(L-R) Tara Letts, Ragan Evans and Sarai Repoley united their individual strengths to succeed as entrepreneurs in downtown Asheville. Photography by Tim Burleson

Ragan Evans and Tara Letts have been friends since the second grade. When they met Sarai Repoley, a successful businesswoman in her own right, in 2005, the three became fast friends. Today, they are the three partners in Those Girls LLC and owners of Windows on the Park, a downtown Asheville special event venue.  

The idea to go into business together came somewhat by chance. Four years ago, Evans and Letts were working with a business coach to figure out the next steps in their careers. They introduced Repoley to their coach to get the same sort of help. The business coach, Elizabeth Barbour, recognized that maybe, just maybe, the three should join forces to create something new, something special. She was right, and magic happened.

“Tara and I were trying to figure out the next steps with our catering business, The Colorful Palate,” said Evans. “We kept hitting brick walls about buying a deli or café; then someone asked if we had considered an event venue. That felt right, but we couldn’t do it financially. Sarai was in a similar place trying to find what was next for her, and she had some money to invest and was looking to try something different. So we jumped off the cliff together.”

That leap of faith has paid off. These early 30s, high-energy entrepreneurs are now a downtown force for business, holding their own in a tough economy made worse by the construction of Pack Square Park right outside their door for the past two years.

Those Girls’ business acumen comes from experiences from this business, previous jobs, and previous businesses the women owned separately. After working for a national corporation, the government, a nonprofit and a small business, Repoley started her own gardening business, which she still owns with a partner. She juggles that business with her co-ownership in Those Girls and is also married with a new baby. She loves the entrepreneurial spirit and challenge. “That’s the great thing about Asheville: There’s a whole community of small businesses that help each other. We all get it,” she explained.

“I feel like I’ve gotten an MBA from working with Windows on the Park,” she continued. “We’re in such a public, prominent place; it forced us to step up and get involved with the city and downtown. There’s a certain cachet to owning a downtown business. Your success and failure are very public.”

Evans, Those Girls’ marketing maven, has a master’s degree in education. She held several teaching positions, was a nanny and worked in retail for one of John Cram’s art galleries. Cram is an entrepreneurial icon in Asheville; Evans learned about value and sticking to prices by watching him.

A business degree from the University of Georgia and a culinary degree from Johnson and Wales in Charleston helped Letts get started. She worked for a catering company for two years in Charlotte, then moved here and started Colorful Palate with Evans. “Ragan talked me into moving here, and we sat down one night over drinks and wrote a business plan on cocktail napkins,” she said.

“We had no idea what we were doing; we just jumped in and worked like crazy,” agreed Evans. “If we had known what we were getting into we never would have done it!”

Letts and Evans’ successful catering operation established their reputation in the community, and led to the partnership with Repoley and the purchase of the special event venue. In their first year at Windows on the Park, Those Girls learned to be clear about who they are and what they needed to do. They tried many things such as opening for huge downtown events like Downtown After Five and Bele Chere right outside their doors.

 “All we did was confuse our target market,” recalled Evans. “So we had to clarify our ideal clients and our mission.”

The second year of operation was about learning to be good managers, how to efficiently run the operation and how to empower a contract staff of about 50 people. “Most of our contract workers have other full-time jobs; they are here because they love Asheville, but it takes a lot to live here. We respect them and don’t ask them to do anything we won’t do ourselves. We also pay them well, and they always get to take home great leftovers,” said Letts.

This philosophy works well; the first person they hired is still with them. They have never advertised for staff, and people seeking serving positions frequently come and ask to work for them.

In the past year, a combination of factors challenged these women. After a successful summer wedding season, a chain-link fence went up outside their building and construction began in earnest on Pack Square Park. The economy sputtered, and bookings fell. Undaunted, they networked and marketed themselves, telling clients about the mess outside, even putting a reed fence over the chain-link fence to camouflage the construction site. The three women also tapped about a dozen local businesspeople and friends to form an advisory board they call their Kitchen Cabinet. These people offer wisdom, referrals and support.

“In hard times you can have a scarcity mentality or you can get really creative, stay positive and try different things,” said Repoley. “Failure is not an option. Besides, it’s a great way to spend your day.”

These days, business is up, and Phase 1 of Pack Square Park is now open — allowing for outdoor events on a green space with a great fountain surrounded by downtown Asheville’s lovely architecture and mountains. The reed and chain-link fences are history.

The three women offer several nuggets of wisdom for other budding entrepreneurs. Hire a business coach — they all agree it’s an important reason for their success. When you figure out how much money you need, double it. Take advantage of local resources, and get involved. They host numerous events for the local chamber of commerce and work with a diverse group of nonprofits. And no matter what you choose to do, have a passion for it.

“It takes a specific brand of insanity to be in this business, and a lot of passion, and we’ve got both,” mused Evans. “Why do we do it? It’s all about thrilling our clients.”
 

Contact Those Girls:
Biltmore Building
1 North Pack Square
Asheville, NC 28801
p 828.252.2920
f 828.252.2921
windowsonthepark.com