A woman-owned boutique is expanding in Durham. Here’s where & when it will open

A woman-owned boutique founded in the Triangle will soon open its second location.

Rose & Lee Co , which first opened in Apex in November 2019, is expanding to Durham . The new store will open Aug. 16 at 213 W. Main St.

The boutique sells gifts and women’s apparel and accessories, and sources items from brands such as Known Supply and Marine Layer , which have sustainable and ethical practices.

“Durham, it’s a conscious community,” said Amber Brennan , the CEO and co-founder of the boutique. “They care about how things are made, and so it just felt like a really great community for us to be a part of.”

Founder with an ‘entrepreneurial mindset’

Brennan grew up in northeastern Pennsylvania, one of six children. As a teenager, she worked at her mother’s children’s consignment shop, where she developed a love for retail.

She attended The Pennsylvania State University and graduated with a degree in business management. Then, she worked in “big box retail.” That’s where she was exposed to fast fashion and how it affects people and the planet.

“I grew up with strong values of giving back and service towards others,” Brennan said. “And so basically, once I first learned of the working conditions that people were in who were creating a lot of these things, these products, clothing, that’s when I was like, ‘Man, I got to find a way to do this differently.’”

She began creating a list of brands that practiced sustainability and treated people ethically, knowing that one day, she’d want to reach her goal of owning her own business.

Brennan left retail for a while to begin working in nonprofits. When she was preparing to leave her job at Cary-based Corral Riding Academy , one of her coworkers asked what she had always wanted to do. The answer: Owning a store that sold sustainably and ethically produced products.

Her coworker, Prisca D’Rozario , offered to partner with Brennan if she ever decided to pursue the business.

“The huge extrovert I am, I think one of the things that was holding me back from entrepreneurship was the fear of doing it alone and being lonely and not having that team environment,” Brennan said. “Once I had someone I knew and trust and really cared about willing to join the venture with me, it was all go from there.”

Creating Rose & Lee Co

Brennan had been thinking for months about what to call the store. Finally, when she was filling out paperwork to purchase the 1,200-square-foot building on West Chatham Street in Apex , she saw her and her business partner’s middle names together.

“We just both really liked how it flowed, and it felt charming and Southern,” said Brennan, who lives in Apex. “It was a cool nod to both of the women.”

Brennan and her co-founder came from different backgrounds and are about three decades apart in age.

Rose & Lee Co (short for Collective) opened in November 2019, and since then, the company has grown. It’s not just a place for women to shop for clothing; it has also become “a place of respite,” Brennan said.

“We spend a lot of time training our staff and making sure that every woman who comes in here feels safe, valued and comfortable and then leaves feeling better than when she came in,” she said.

Brennan bought out D’Rozario in 2021, which was also the year the staff went on a retreat to plan and discuss the future of the company.

“We envisioned growth to be able to expand our impact both locally and for the brands that we partner with,” Brennan said.

From there, the team began working on finding a second location for Rose & Lee Co. Brennan saw in Durham an opportunity for the company to be a place where a growing population could shop locally for clothing. Also, several Rose & Lee Co team members live in the Bull City.

While Brennan is focused on getting the new store up and running, along with maintaining the Apex location, she hopes to continue expanding Rose & Lee Co across the Triangle .

When will Rose & Lee Co open in Durham?

A grand opening celebration is planned for the 1,800-square-foot store on Durham’s Main Street, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Aug. 16-17 . The event will include complimentary food and drinks from local businesses and a raffle to win $600 worth of clothing.

The Durham store will be open 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday-Saturday and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday.

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