Sometimes we shop at a national outlet for clothing and gifts because it’s easy…but where do you go when you want something unique, something personal, something just right? If you’re like me, you head to a local boutique. A boutique is defined as a single shop catering specialized products within a niche to a select clientele. Today many refer to boutiques in baby products, beauty, grocery, books and advertising…meaning any small business with a certain niche and a smaller clientele. Being old fashioned, I tend to still think of clothing and gift stores.

In Blue Springs we are fortunate to have several boutiques for the trendy palette. It’s fun to pop in and see what’s new…but here’s where the owner’s challenge just begins. One thing you may not know about me is that I was once a glass artist, making glass beads for jewelry designers across the country. I learned firsthand that What’s new? translates into forever living on the cusp of fashion. Shoppers at boutiques are always looking for edgy finds.

In a nutshell, that’s the life of a boutique owner. They shop for the next season as well as the here and now, live within store means, develop a style for themselves, and forever display edgy items for savvy shoppers. Here’s the thing: that’s just the outward part of owning a boutique. Yes, it sounds fun, maybe glamorous, but read on!

A boutique is usually run with a very small staff, so the owner wears many hats. It’s always fun to be the CEO, but the owner also doubles at times as the cleaning lady, shelf stocker, advertising guru and budgeteer. While many of us enjoy working nine to five, a boutique owner puts in much longer hours.

The fashion industry may boast $20 million annually, yet boutique owners operate within a much stricter profit margin. Like Meg Ryan in You’ve Got Mail, it sometimes feels like success hangs by a thread (literally), and almost always without Tom Hanks (or a reasonable facsimile) coming to the rescue. These intrepid entrepreneurs love fashion and people, weaving them seamlessly into havens of charm and grace where they know their regulars by first name and shop familiar faces in mind.

It’s important for us to create the community we want. At the Chamber you’ll find businesses from huge department stores to small, trendy boutiques. You can shoot for convenience and shop for economy, but supporting the arts includes supporting local boutiques. You’ll find the work of Blue Springs artists, unusual gifts, and feel your horizons expanding. If we want Blue Springs to be more than shopping malls, we must make a point of stopping and dropping a few dollars on something special. Shop small. Shop local. I’d love to see us create a trendy mecca for metropolis shoppers, with more than a handful of trendy boutiques drawing in Johnson County money, lol. I love a sweet boutique. Support one near you!