NOT TOO SHABBY BOUTIQUE: Gift Baskets, Home Décor, Gourmet Food, and Much More

By Angie Landsverk

When Reshell Douglas opened Not Too Shabby Boutique, it was a collaboration with her mother.

“We started out as a shabby-chic, Frenchie-foo-foo boutique,” Reshell said. “It was really adorable with unique vintage finds that my mother would collect on her trips in the RV. Her love of floral arranging really made the store feel like a garden.”

That was related to the influence of her mom, Nancy Karasinski, being in the wedding industry, making bridal bouquets for clients

in a previous family business. “We carried French soaps and bath/ body products, shabby chic bedding, furniture, and artwork,” Reshell said.

Nancy started a bridal floral business in her sewing room. Reshell was 9 years old at the time and grew up right along with her mom’s business.

She said entrepreneurship is in her blood. “I was given oppor­tunities that many may not have had the advantage of. I attended my first clothing market at 13 and worked in the family business through to my mid-20s,” Reshell said. “I worked at other large department stores, but being my own boss was inevitable.”

Why did Reshell and Nancy decide to open a boutique? “My mom and I liked to decorate, shop, and shop some more,” Reshell said.

Choosing a name for their business proved to be easy. Nancy said that phrase (not too shabby) often. “One day we just looked at each other after she had said it,” Reshell said. “We knew at that moment that was the name.”

Not Too Shabby Boutique opened in 2000. The mother-daugh­ter team worked together there until Nancy’s retirement in 2016.

When Not Too Shabby Boutique moved in 2011, Reshell made room for a few of her besties. She subleases to them, with a hair stylist and a massage therapist incorporated into the space.

“We share space and clients — making it a fun destination,” she said. “It’s common to have a client in her beauty cape and foil in her hair shopping the store as her hair processes.”

Challenges, Turning Point

What challenges has Reshell faced since opening her boutique? “All of them. That’s part of owning your own business,” she said. “Have the attitude — it’s not what you deal with; it’s how you deal with it.”

She said there have been a few turning points for her gift shop, with the standout being 2020. “Yeah — I don’t know too many businesses that would say otherwise. We all have a sense of accom­plishment if you walked through that fire,” Reshell said. “For me, there was a moment of panic, followed by, ‘Well, I guess I’m going into real estate!’ But little did I know that the real estate business would be my saving grace.

The greeting cards she carries are popular as well. Customers are often heard across the store laughing at one of the cards. “We love snarky and cards that make you giggle,” Reshell said. “Anything locally made — our community is loyal with supporting locally made goods. We have a huge selection of chocolates and candy that are made within our state.”

The boutique has a website that Reshell said was set up in the frenzy of the pandemic to be accessible to their clients. “When we could shop in person, we shut it down,” she said. “But we have just recently added popular clothing lines back and started selling again online, running sales during holidays, etc. We do ship, but most customers still choose to pick up in store.”

The boutique’s typical customer has changed during the last few years. “We once viewed ourselves as a ‘girlie foo-foo’ boutique, but our increasingly growing downtown is bringing new residents that are young professionals and a lot of retirees from other states. But my core client is that boutique shopping lady (age) 35-85,” Reshell said. “I’m humbled when clients say that this is their favorite store. I know that they have a lot of choices. I’m grateful to be called as such.”

How To Succeed

Reshell shared advice about what it takes to be successful. “It is essential for business owners to work their own store’s sale floor. Be in touch with your clients, listen to them, get to know their needs,” she said. “They are the key to what you stock your store with and why. I have always asked for feedback about products and wants in considering what to purchase in my inventory selection.”

And Reshell has always strived to be different — maybe what some would describe as a little quirky. That is from their merchan­dising and product mix to their events.

It makes Not Too Shabby Boutique stand out from other shops. “One of our annual holiday events in December is our man-friendly shopping event called Testosterone Turnout,” Reshell said. “We serve brew pub friendly snacks/beverages, and they arrive with their wife’s wish list in hand.”

She feels lucky to be doing what she loves after more than 24 years. Reshell and the people who work at the boutique are what make it different from other stores in their area. And she said her altar to actors Bradley Cooper and Sam Heughan keeps customers coming back to see and admire!

Reshell says it is pivotal to stay in the minds of customers through social media, direct email, and text messages and to have consistent events throughout the year.

Connecting with the community is also important. She said social media is a must for doing so. “Plus, we hold networking socials at our store after hours,” Reshell said. “We love to donate to local events and fundraisers, and we cheer on fellow small-business owners!”

Her advice to those who recently opened a gift shop is, “Be you! Listen to your customers, and don’t take a crowd with you on buying trips. Let your customers’ wants/needs be your guide.”

What does she like best about what she does? “It’s a creative outlet. Not many people can say they do what they love,” she said. “I do that, and it makes me happy, and I think it makes others happy, too!”

However, what Reshell appreciates the most are the friendships she has gained along the way. When her mom retired in 2016, it was due to being diagnosed with dementia.

“It’s a loss that drags on. The woman that inspired me, gave me the drive to do what I do today, is melting away. It’s the worst to want to share with her your wins, and you can’t,” Reshell said. “I started sharing my story with random clients/sales reps that would mention similar situations with a loved one. Soon I had compan­ions in loss — connections that I find so loving and supportive. Being an only child, I don’t feel so alone in this plight. These amaz­ing souls that are my clients are so much more. That is what makes what I do … everything.”