As the holiday season hit into overdrive, students enjoyed the lazy days of sleeping until noon and enjoying the time away from final exams and the stress of academics. But for junior Abigail Alanis, the days before Christmas were the busiest days of the year. Alanis. the owner of Blushing Blonde Boutique, was on social media and at her store showing shoppers what they could buy to support her small business.
This was the first Christmas season for the brick and mortar store. For Alanis, a dream came true when she opened her boutique this fall. Filled with colorful walls and aesthetically pleasing clothing, Blushing Blondie Boutique, is a great inspiration for girls everywhere.
“I started working on the online boutique the summer of sophomore year transitioning into my junior year,” Alanis said. “The transition from an online boutique to a store was much harder than I expected. Especially with me still being a high school student. I would often find myself at the boutique very late at night without even realizing it.”
Blushing Blondie Boutique was meant to show her customers a hint of herself and her personality.
“I wanted my boutique name to reflect off of me,” Alanis said. “I’ve always been blonde, and I thought blushing sounded cute with it.”
Ever since visiting stores around Texas, ideas arose for a store with diverse products. Alanis noticed there was a need, so she set her mind to fulfill the need for it.
“I drew my inspiration from boutiques I would shop at in the Hill Country,” Alanis said. “I didn’t wanna have a boutique that was just one-dimensional. When I would walk into those boutiques, there was always something for everyone.”
Sometimes it is easy for fear to get into people’s heads, and this was no exception for Alanis. When starting out she faced internal obstacles, however, she kept going.
“I didn’t know if anyone would even show up, and I was just running on faith,” Alanis said. “I have been so happy with the turnout and all the support from our community.”
She strives to create customers who are happy and who are a community. She also wants to have a business that expands to have many more employees, customers and a larger store.
“My long-term goal for the boutique is to one day have an even bigger storefront and build good relationships with my clientele,” Alanis said. “I’d love to have more people work for me and have a fun relationship with them as well.”
Alanis has many motivational words for those who want to take steps similar to hers and open their business. She encourages students to persevere through the difficulties of opening a business because of the benefits that outweigh the obstacles.
“I’d like to tell people who want to start a business at a young age that it is definitely not as easy as it looks,” Alanis said. “It’s very time consuming and can be stressful. But the outcome is so worth it. I would definitely tell them to do a lot of research because even I am still learning things.”
The store can be found at 10662 FM 1097 W. , Willis, TX. They are open Monday – Saturday 10: a.m. to 6 p.m.
