Meet Stephe Ebert | Co-Founder | Briton Court

We had the good fortune of connecting with Stephe Ebert and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Stephe, do you have any habits that you feel contribute to your effectiveness?
There are quite a few habits that I can say contribute to the success of Briton Court. One of the most important habits is to stay positive. There are always bumps on the road but with the right mind set and surrounding yourself with positive uplifting people who was to see you succeed you will always get past those bumps in the road. Which leads me to the next habit that I believe contributes to our success- “Networking”. It’s so important in our industry to network, get to know people who are successful, have great advice and know the industry. Talk to everyone, you never know how someone can help you or you can help someone until you make a point to connect to others in the industry. Networking with others has motivated us, given us insight and helped us hire some amazing people. Another habit that has helped us is being persistent. Continually researching the best manufacturers, sales reps, stores and showing up every day and working on goals constantly.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Briton Court (named after the street that we grew up on) was a dream since we were little girls (we are three sisters, Jenny, Stephe and Kristina – twins and a younger sister) and as long back as we can remember, we loved design and dressing up in our moms clothes. We grew up in a family of restauranteurs so our moms closet was full of fancy gowns and heels so dressing up was extra fun. All 3 of us worked in the retail apparel world as soon as we were legally able to work. Shortly after college we discussed starting our own brand. We talked to many friends, mentors and acquaintances about it and they all said we needed more experience and we were too young. Hearing that motivated us even more- we didn’t want to take no for an answer and knew that we had the work ethic and motivation to start a successful brand. We all went out into the workforce and got more experience. Jenny and Kristina each opened their own retail stores while Stephe went to work in the wholesale apparel industry. In 2022, after extensive research we decided to launch a very small private collection in Jenny and Kristina’s stores. The day we launched it was the largest websales to date that both of our stores have had. Retailers were calling the stores asking what brand it was and how to get it. That gave us the idea to start offering Briton Court at wholesale. We went to our first Trade Show in Atlanta in August of 2022 and it was a huge success. We opened 75 stores at that show. We have learned many lessons along the way, but one of the most important is that no matter how many times you hear no, if you have the right mind set and motivation and believe in yourself, there is always a way.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would have to say right in our hometown of Greenville, SC. It has grown tremendously since our childhood. Downtown is absolutely beautiful. We would start by grabbing a coffee at Bridge City and taking a walk at Falls Park in downtown Greenville. Falls Park is surrounded by so many amazing restaurants and stores. The Swamp Rabbit Trail runs through downtown and has beautiful bike paths with so much to do along the way and amazing murals by local artists- everyone needs to try the stecca bread at the Swamp Rabbit Cafe.

We would pop into Fork and Plough for brunch and the most amazing mimosas. The we could catch a Greenville Drive Minor League baseball game in downtown then head to the shops on Augusta Road (we’d pop by Harringtons and Vann & Liv our two family stores) and then grab dinner at one of the Table 301 restaurants (Jones Oyster is a favorite) and another great restaurant in Greenville is the ’07.

On Sunday, we would take a trip to Furman University. The lake is a beautiful place to walk. Its nice and quiet and you can enjoy watching the ducks, turtles and birds along your walk. During the Falls, Furman football is also a lot of fun to watch and take your family. Its a beautiful campus that caters to familys with live music and food trucks during the tailgate.

There are so many additional great places in Greenville, but this is where we would start.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
We wouldn’t be where we are today without the encouragement and support of our parents, Jill & Vince Perone. Our mom still works full time in Hospice Care and our dad is in the food brokerage business. We grew up watching them work hard to support our family. Our family was in the restaurant business so from a young age we watched them interact with customers, work hard and treat everyone with respect. They have always taught us to believe in ourselves, have confidence and be kind to everyone. They are our biggest supporters. We have Family Dinner every Sunday at our parents house (all 13 of us- kids. They have shown so much love and encouragement throughout the years and we wouldn’t be where we are today without them.

Website: https://www.britoncourt.com

Instagram: @shopbritoncourt

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shopbritoncourt

Image Credits
Virgil Bunao