Catherine Keighery, proprietor, Red Lane Boutique, Tramore – see redlane.ie – with staff members Jennifer Hartery and Jane Quearney. | Photo: Patrick Browne

While other businesses may be downsizing, Catherine Keighery, proprietor of the thriving Red Lane Boutique in Tramore, has seen an online opportunity to expand her customer base.

The fashion-conscious entrepreneur has just gone global by launching www.redlane.ie – a website version of the ladies and children’s outlet she has been successfully operating at the junction of Main Street/Queen Street in the Co Waterford seaside town since 2005. Redlane.ie features almost 700 garments and will deliver to anywhere in Ireland the very next day.

A native of Tramore, Catherine is from a family of successful entrepreneurs. She jumped into the world of business and opened ‘Red Lane’ when she was just 24. It’s now one of the southeast’s best-known boutiques and has gone from strength to strength – even in these more challenging times.

She views this latest venture as a natural progression. “I’ve seen a growth in the number of customers travelling from all over the southeast and beyond to shop at Red Lane. I figured there is definitely a nationwide market for an Irish boutique stocking a huge range of international designs with next-day delivery.”

In choosing stock, style-savvy Catherine selects labels, designs, styles and colours by researching the industry and attending trade fairs in European fashion capitals such as Milan and London. High Street fashion doesn’t have to come at a high cost, she believes, with the Red Lane collection reasonably priced and occasionally surprisingly cheap.

Having always loved clothes, Catherine says: “In starting Red Lane I knew first-hand that most women love keeping up to date with styles and trends but don’t want to spend a fortune on high-end designer pieces. I have always maintained the idea of versatile styles at reasonable prices.”

From alternative evening and smart day wear, to a huge range of complementary shoes and accessories, Red Lane styles also come in an astonishing range of colours (even for winter), with designs from Aftershock, DESIGUAL, Fee G, St Martin, Religion Jovanna London, Kate Fernley and Manouk accessories to name but a few.

See for yourself at the Tramore store or online at www.redlane.ie