Unique Boutiques in Alma is celebrating its two year anniversary on Friday.
Located at 124 W. Superior Street, the antique store is home to distinct clothing and products provided by various vendors.
Co-owners Tish Mallory and Cheryl Reeves met each other through their other job.
“Cheryl and I became fast friends after meeting at our real estate office,” Mallory said. “We loved to go antiquing at other stores, and going to art fairs, and things like that. We got bit by the bug with that.”
Mallory was inspired by a local store that had a similar set up.
“Back in college, I had an entrepreneur class that had a field trip to Loafer’s Glory,” she said. “I was so impressed with that store that I wanted a place like that of my own. The price on this building came down, and we decided to go for it.”
The duo began to call people that they knew in the antique world to begin the process of filling the store.
More field trips to art fairs and antique stores were in the mix to build a network with more people.
“We have items that some people search far and wide for,” Reeves said. “We like to seek out different products that you can’t find anywhere else. We’re always striving to be as unique as possible.”
The store was previously a real estate office, so instead of renting floor space the vendors rent out rooms.
“You have the option to rent a room or consign items,” Mallory said. “When you rent a room, you have to work at least once a week. Otherwise you can just bring in items and we’ll display them in various places for you.”
Some of the rooms are filled with backpacks, baby clothes, scarves, stadium chairs, and Alma college gear.
“Both of our jobs allow us to invest in the community” Reeves said. “That is rewarding in itself. I love meeting and greeting different people, especially if it’s just me in here. We get a lot of customers that want something special and that isn’t mass produced.”
Reeves has been in real estate for 20 years and Mallory has been in it for four years.
“Owning the boutique is great because we also get real estate leads,” Reeves said. “It’s kind of a two-for. Some people come in and know that we sell real estate. They ask questions about both, so then we can do two jobs at the same time.”
The women credit social media for their wide range of clientele.
“I love to see how far people travel to get here,” Mallory said. “And then when they get here, I love to see their reaction when they realize how deep the store is. Some people come in and think the storefront is the only place where products are placed and sold.”
The store has approximately 50 different vendors for customers to choose from.
“This gives creative people an outlet for their craft,” Reeves said. “We have a young gal here that used to lug around all of her clothing to different art fairs and stores, but now she has a home here for a minimum price.”
There is currently one room available for rent in the store for $140 a month.
To celebrate their anniversary, Unique Boutiques will be having drawings throughout the day.
For more information, you can “like” their page on Facebook.