Payton Whitfield is not only a young mother, fiance and entrepreneur, but she is also the face of Buckin Buffalo boutique here in Stephenville. Buckin Buffalo is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The original storefront is located at 1350 W Washington Suite 1240, while the second and newest storefront will be located at 240 W College Street.
“Don’t ever give up, this is not something that I thought I’d ever be successful doing,” Whitfield said. “I could have never done it without God.”
Stephenville native, Whitfield, founded the Buckin Buffalo a little over a year ago. Whitfield began the business while working at Peacock’s Restaurant as a waitress. She invested money at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and now owns a business that has a following of nearly 20,000 people on Instagram.
“Social media is such a big thing now-a-days, it’s very important to portray what you want to sell, who you want to be and reach out to people,” Whitfield said.
As a Stephenville resident, Whitfield was able to gain a following from the local community soon after opening her business. This is not new to her as she had accumulated a following on her personal accounts prior to starting her business.
“When I was younger I worked at an ample amount of boutiques. I love fashion,” Whitfield shared. “I sell women’s clothing because I like to capitalize on making women feel comfortable and cute. At work, or a day out or a night out, just something where they can leave here feeling confident.”
Whitfield has not only generated a following on social media but also a sense of accomplishment among her employees. Whitfield balances mom life, fiance life and business owner life by establishing a good support system among her employees and family.
“It’s definitely inspiring to see everything she’s done,” Payton Reid said.
Reid is a Tarleton student as well as one of the many employees and models at the Buckin Buffalo.
“I started here back in the beginning of the summer and have already seen her business grow a lot. I’m really excited for her store downtown. It might become a staple in Stephenville. I think that would be cool to see.”
Whitfield is expecting to open her second Stephenville storefront by September 15, right beside Newton at the Cellar. This location will include more retail space and Whitfield shares that she will be able to carry much more product and merchandise, including plus size clothing. She hopes to reach a larger audience and carry something for everyone.
“Opening my small business and becoming a mom changed my life,” Whitfield said. Whitfield shares that a lot of her motivation stems from her son and fiance, “Outside of my son and my fiance, definitely my mom and dad. One day I would like to pay their way.”
When asked where Whitfield saw her business going in the future, Whitfield shared, “nowhere but up.” Whitfield also added, her goal was to have more Stephenville residents shop small. With COVID-19 in the mix, Stephevnille has seen a few small businesses close their doors. Whitfield urges the community to shop small and support local businesses as well as entrepreneurs.