In this Remixlabel exclusive interview, we talk to Jennifer owner of legendary Houston boutique PremiumGoods. Read on with us as they take us on how they have become one of if not the most respected shop in TX and how their constant hustle has opened the doors for creative projects and exclusive releases.

Premium Goods is considered by many the premier sneaker and lifestyle boutique in TX and surrounding areas, what have you done that other shops don't?

We were very fortunate to be the 1st boutique in both Brooklyn and Texas. Because of this, we have been really blessed to have a supportive and constantly growing clientele.  They not only support our stores and our brands but they believe in our vision.  Because of them we work really hard at keeping the store true to our original goal of offering new yorkers/texans a venue to purchase new and exclusive brands.

Many brands seem to be selling to any buyer, as a boutique owner do you think that helps the identity and following of a brand or hurt it?

I was very lucky to work as a buyer for a department store for 4 years prior to opening the Houston location so i have little a bit of experience with buying new lines.  The first thing we generally look for is how strong are the designs/styles.  If something is quality then it really does not matter how many stores carry it.  People will never be able to get enough.  these are basic guidelines of supply and demand. next, we look at their distribution.  If they are not somewhat selective as to who they sell to then this is a good guide as to how much they believe in their own brand.  After that, with the state of our economy we really take cost/retail into consideration.  It takes a good line to find a healthy balance of all the three guidelines that i mentioned.  These are the brands that we consider quality enough for Premiumgoods.

Do you have any plans on a larger collection of PG apparel?

We are in the process of expanding our small private label collection. We get a lot of demand for our Houston hats and tees so there will be definitely be more of these in the future.  We are also planning to do some more jackets and sweats for the summer but these we will keep somewhat limited again because not everyone can wear our logo right. ;)

You have had the honor to carry very limited editions like the Yeezy's shoe and an exclusive only at Premium goods The Hundreds x Bun B Tee. How did that come about?

Over the 5 years that we have been open, we have developed some great relationships with our vendors.  These friendships/partnerships have allowed us to have such great releases here.  My favorite was the hundreds x bun b tee....  this randomly came up in a conversation with our rep.... the shirt was already developed exclusively for Bun B who is a GOOD friend of the store.  I loved this tee!  to me it totally represented Houston.... bun b, rims and the Astros colors.... OMG!  I had to have it.  Bun B was an amazing addition to the event.  All rappers should learn from him. he is a total gentleman and is really passionate about his city, his music and his love for sneakers and the culture.  He even made me make sure there was food & drinks for all of the people willing to get up early for this event.  We sold through 150 tees in 1.5 hours and he stayed the whole time to make sure that every one sold got signed.

What new brands should customers look forward to at Premium goods?

We are always looking for new brands but right now we seem to be really comfortable with the ones that we carry.  But, if you ever in the store and do not see something you are looking for.... feel free to let me know and we will look into carrying it. :)

Any last words to yours fans?

Thank you all very much for making my dream a reality.  I remember the 1st couple of months i was open.... I would be excited just to get a customer a day.  excited just to meet another person who loved sneakers just as much as me.  In fact, 3 of my favorite customers are now my closest friends and store associates so we get to enjoy our passion together every day.  For everyone else, thank you so much for supporting the store!  Our goal is to keep Houston on the map and get all the shoes that we were missing out on for years.

By Mike Remix

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August 1, 2010

PremiumGoods Interview...