Peacocks to Paperdolls: Two Refreshing Boutiques Open in Omaha
Chocolate Peacock
Fall is in the air, ladies, and local boutique Chocolate Peacock came prepared. In fact, they just placed a cozy, chunky-knit charcoal grey sweater and a camel-colored fleece cape on their shelves. Best guesses estimate these pieces as nearly sold-out when this article goes to print.
Why, you ask? Because Chaley Chandler, owner of one of Omaha’s hottest new boutiques, knows women.
“We carry trendy, specialty items for the sophisticated woman” stated Chandler. “Every piece is hand-picked; we carry between 20 and 30 lines at any time because we don’t stock entire lines, we pick single items we love”.
And for items that look and feel expensive, price-wise she’s right on target. “Everything we carry is extremely affordable and usually falls under the $100 mark” she said.
Most of her clientele fall between ages 25 to 55, a large range for an independent boutique. But this seems very believable after looking through some new items in for September. I could see myself and my Mother, who shall remain ageless (so I may live to write another day) in several of Chocolate Peacock’s fall items.
Indeed, Chandler knows the power of versatility, and her shop is sure to stick around for years.
Chocolate Peacock is located at 2947 South 108th Street in Omaha. Go to chocolatepeacockboutique.com or call 402.933.9073 for more information.
Paperdoll
Paperdoll is a vintage and one-of-a-kind boutique that's anything but cookie cutter. In under three years, Owner Kelsey Riewer turned her personal obsession with vintage clothing into both a standing and online boutique.
"I love vintage so it started out as something I just bought for myself," said the shop owner. Soon, she started buying for friends and then selling on Etsy, an online marketplace for vintage and handmade items. "Etsy was perfect for me. I love writing, photography and buying vintage, and I did that for a full two years before opening my shop".
After becoming an Etsy seller, Riewer opened a pop-up shop for the holidays with a friend from Curbside Clothing (now located in the Old Market). "It was my first taste of setting up a store, and after the holidays I started to take everything down and wondered what to do next." From there, she rented the space now known as Paperdoll, located in Benson.
On top of selling vintage and vintage-inspired clothing and accessories, Riewer slowly started carrying one-of-a-kind items from local and independent designers. Handbags, wine vines, wire-wrapped jewelry, framed art and of course, clothing, were among the original items carried in-shop.
"Some of my favorite items in the store are from an independent line called Pin & Hem; it's one of the best-selling collections in the shop." Riewer showed off some of her favorite items from the line, such as fanny packs, an asymmetrical button-up jacket and a fabulously versatile black maxi skirt.
She made her shop’s mission clear. "Vintage items are hard to find and often one-of-a-kind. Buying a vintage item is like going on a trip and finding a cool item. When you bring it back home, you're the only one with it and that makes it stand out. With vintage, there might be more items like yours out there, but they're a lot harder to find and that's what makes them special".
Paperdoll is located at 6607 Maple Street in Omaha. Go to facebook.com/heypaperdoll for more information or heypaperdoll.com to shop online at their Etsy boutique.
Sarah Lorsung Tvrdik is a stylist, costumier, wife and freelance writer based in Omaha, Nebraska. Her style blog can be found at fashflood.com.
posted at 03:12 pm
on Friday, September 16th, 2011
