1.30.2012

Shopping: (Best Kept Secret) Boutique


Photo courtesy of (Best Kept Secret) Boutique

It’s a fashion fact of life—for those who want to keep up with trends and purchase quality pieces, a big chunk of the monthly budget must be sacrificed. At least, that’s the way it used to be.

Lauren Feather, 19-year-old proprietor of the (Best Kept Secret)Boutique at 1930 Village Center Circle in Summerlin, felt it was time
for a paradigm shift.

“My friends and I were tired of spending the majority of our money on clothes,” she said. “Then it hit me. An affordable, boutique-feeling store would be an awesome place for us to go.”

While others her age were working on their tans, Feather spent this past summer researching and putting together a business plan. With an initial investment from her father, the (Best Kept Secret) Boutique opened its doors in August.

Shoppers shouldn’t let the high-end décor or trendy displays fool them into thinking their wallets might suffer. For the price of a typical department store piece, customers can walk away with three or
four new looks.

“The most expensive item I’ve ever had in the store was a $48 adorable dress,” Feather pointed out. “Keeping the price point reasonable keeps the store unique.”

Unlike other low-cost fashion retailers, loyal customers shouldn’t worry about showing up in the same ensemble at a party.

“Once I’m out of something, you will never see it in the store again,” Feather said. “New inventory comes every week, so there will always be something new in the store.”

Potential customers should also know that the store doesn’t cater to just young, skinny girls.
“Not only do I cater to more sizes, I also cater to different age groups,” Feather said. “The best is when we get a grandmother, her daughter, and her granddaughter in and all three of them find
something.”

Already drawing a large following on Facebook and Twitter, (Best Kept Secret) includes among its fans local radio personality Lauren Michaels Bernard, who co-hosts the morning show on 98.5 KLUC.

By and large, this is the biggest source of the boutique’s publicity, social networking and word-of-mouth.

“(My friend) found it and told my boyfriend to go there for Christmas gifts,” said Kim Blackburn. “I loved my (outfit) so much I went and took two friends with me to check it out. We love it because it’s really cute, the clothes are cute and it’s not like the usual places we shop.”

“(Best Kept Secret) provides quality, adorable, affordable clothing,” Feather said. “The secret is you don’t have to spend an unlawful amount of money to look fashionable.”

Published on bestoflasvegas.com