I have taken the plunge and opened a retail location in downtown, La Crosse, WI. I signed the lease in February and spent a couple of months working on painting, setup and displays. It was a lot of work but fun too. Most of the displays are all recycled/repurposed materials from my home, Goodwill, Salvation Army and the Habitat Restore. My favorite find was from the Restore and is a double sink vanity. I got clever and took out some of the plumbing elements and stuck christmas lights up from the plumbing into the sink bowls. I then placed a piece of textured tempered glass over the countertop. It makes the coolest table to display soaps!I officially opened the first weekend in April, 2011. So far the traffic has been sporadic, usually depending on the weather, but I'm remaining optimistic! Plus, even on the slower days, I'm usually not bored, because I can use the time to make jewelry and work on graphic design client projects. (The location also serves as my office for my graphic design business, Direct Design Solutions).
Besides offering my complete line of handmade bath and body products, I also have my beaded & wire wrapped glassware, photography and beaded jewelry. Additionally, I feature two other local artists' jewelry as well.
My hours are M-F 10 am to 6 pm; Sat. 10 am to 4 pm and Sun. 11 am - 3 pm. If I have shows or something pressing I do occassionally close on the weekends, so I encourage customers to join my facebook page for updates and my enewsletter. If you're local or visiting the area, please stop in to visit me and see what the boutique has to offer!
