36 Cornelio offers eclectic boutique shopping experience

KAMBE LOVELACE

Nestled in the heart of Woodbrook, Port of Spain, is a gem packed with local artisan-made items including clothing, jewellery, bath and body products, candles, ceramics and more. This is 36 Cornelio.

Standing on the block between Ariapita Avenue and Tragerete Road, the shop features no outside signage, just an open gate, greenery and benches. However, the facade of just another traditional Woodbrook house conceals an unforgettable boutique shopping experience on the inside.

Shandelle Alleyne-Loregnard, co-owner of 36 Cornelio and the artist behind the minimalist clothing and jewellery brand Willow and Oak, describes 36 Cornelio as: “A small local boutique located in the heart of Woodbrook with a unique selection of carefully curated handmade products from a wide range of local artisans and designers in TT.”

Newsday chatted with Alleyne-Loregnard to find out more about what the boutique has to offer, as well as its journey from inception to now.

When shopping there today, you'll find over 25 local brands to choose from, but it opened four years ago with just four local clothing brands: Willow and Oak; ShopShari, defined by bold prints and easy silhouettes; Bene Caribe, which has a no-waste business model and also incorporates bold prints into its designs; and Island Vintage Goods, which sells locally sourced vintage pieces.

Understanding the need for expansion, the owners decided to partner up and opened the shop in November 2019 – a mere three months before the covid19 pandemic struck.

Alleyne-Loregnard said her business had reached the stage where it needed a physical space.

“I needed to have a location with a changing room. Selling clothes online can be a bit tricky when it comes to sizing, so I really needed a space where my customers could come in, feel the product, try it on, and make the decision from there.”

The other founding brands were experiencing the same issue.

Alleyne-Loregnard said small businesses can't always afford to pay for a brick-and-mortar space. So the four became partners to cover expenses like rent and the overheads involved in renting physical premises.

“We wanted a space to share and show our customers our brands. As a small business, we’re not able to open a brick-and-mortar store by ourselves so we came together as a group and created 36 Cornelio.”

Alleyne-Loregnard said reaching where they are now was a gradual climb born out of artistic collaborations.

“We started to bring in other brands one at a time."

The first was Greta Michelle of ArtbyGretaMichelle, a handmade ceramics brand.

"This happened through a collaboration with me (Willow and Oak), and then we decided to bring her in the store. From that, it’s been growing ever since.”

Welcoming newcomers

Alleyne-Loregnard said although the store had to close when the pandemic hit, she collaborated with ArtbyGretaMichelle on an incense-holder, in the hope that a soothing aroma would lift clients' spirits in those uncertain times.

Once the store reopened in August 2020, the founders decided to invite ArtbyGretaMichelle to become a vendor.

The store now includes notable clothing brands like Meiling and Anya Ayoung-Chee Ltd. Other brands include Tiny Buddha, which makes local candles and ceramics with a focus on sustainability; Pyua Organics, which offers locally handcrafted, vegan and sustainable personal care serums; Poui Pots, which offers hand-painted concrete plant pots; Brooke’s Closet, eco-friendly children’s swimwear; and Island Time Style, handmade ceramic earrings and glass-bead jewellery, to name a few.

Asked what the shop looks for when inviting a brand to be a vendor, Alleyne-Loregnard said, “A lot of different things. It (the product) has to be well made; the brand has to be a very strong brand. Sometimes a brand comes to us as a reference or sometimes we go and purchase an item...and try it out for a couple of months so that we know for sure if it is a great product and, more so, a product that our customer base would like.”

The process of getting an item in-store can be lengthy, varying from a couple of months to sometimes a year or more. This is to ensure the brand is one that a 36 Cornelio customer would appreciate and that the brand itself is ready for retail.

Her advice for local artisans looking to become vendors in a retail space is to be mindful that: “It takes time to understand your customer, your brand and what you put out.

“If you have a unique story, use your story to sell your product and always keep learning. Always keep finding new ways to innovate. Think of new materials to use and think of collaborations. Collaborations help with understanding somebody else’s perspective and can be helpful in broadening an artist’s scope of possibilities.

"Also, the most important thing is to be consistent.”

Covid19: The silver lining

Alleyne-Loregnard describes the covid19 pandemic as “nerve-racking” and “a little bit scary.” However, thanks to the generosity of their landlord, the partners were able to make it through and eventually reopen their doors once allowed.

Although the pandemic was stressful, it presented an opportunity for the founding brands to pivot, focusing on selling online as well as masks.

Her brand, Willow and Oak, and Bene Caribe, Alleyne-Loregnard says, "did face masks, which was a huge help for us in keeping the doors open.”

As for the store, the pandemic provided an unexpected opportunity for growth because there was more focus on shopping locally, owing to shipping restrictions and the fact that many international businesses were locked down.

Alleyne-Loregnard described this realisation as a "bittersweet" moment, as it was a trying time for everyone, but also a time when the store was able to see success and the founders were able to better fulfil their mandate of pushing local shopping.

For her, the eureka moment came with the understanding that "all these other brands are going through the same thing."

She said, "Why don’t we open up our doors and create a space where we can all collectively come together and share the things we all like to do with the local market and make it easy for customers to purchase?"

In terms of the future, Alleyne-Loregnard says the shop hopes to expand. “One of our goals is to definitely expand and hopefully open a second branch. We have a lot of south customers but they can only come on specific days so it will be really great if we can open a second branch.”

The shop is open Monday-Saturday and you can find it on Instagram at 36 Cornelio.

Brands stocked at 36 Cornelio:

Willow and Oak

Island Vintage Goods

Bene Caribe

Alora

Anya Ayoung-Chee Ltd

ARC (Alliance of Rural Communities)

BagLady Basics

Brooke's Closet

Carmel Valley Estate

ArtbyGretaMichelle

Infuse Pure Therapy

Island Time Style

Levi Marcus

Malika Rachelle Designs

Meiling

Portraits by Khaffi

Poui Pots

Pyua Organics

Ray Candles

Sapodilla Studios

The Body Bar Co.

TIIU

Tiny Buddha

Twin Island Totes

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