by Jim Boyle
Editor
Allison McDowell saw a need and filled a need in Arizona with an online boutique that attracted nearly 5,000 customers.
Now, she’s opened a storefront in downtown Elk River to take her business called Allison’s Addicts Boutique to a new level.
It was her earliest customers who joined her Facebook group that helped her name the business. She solicited suggestions on the social media site after about six or seven months of selling clothes and accessories of all different sizes — from small to 3X.
Random submissions started rolling in, but soon there was a theme.
“People said, ‘I am addicted to what you’re doing,’” she recalled from her new spot at 310 Jackson Ave. in downtown Elk River. “I don’t know if it’s ‘the fun,’ ‘the comfort’ or ‘the friendly,’ but I am addicted to my VIP Group. I come home from work, get in my comfy clothes and check to see what’s going on in this group; the camaraderie is amazing.”
McDowell has been sharing the progress of her new endeavor, including videos of the demolition and renovation of their space to its storefront opening celebration.
She will now attempt to fill the void often created by boutiques that sell small, medium and large outfits but rarely go beyond.
“I have been in lots of sizes in my life, and I have always loved to shop, whether it’s for myself or for gifts to give to others. I enjoy doing that, but depending on your size, that can be very fun or not so much fun.
“I had a lot of friends who would say they hated shopping, and so I started helping friends and getting good feedback. The clothing I bring in has to be made small through 3XL.”
McDowell said the average size of women in our country is not even large.
“It’s more like an XL,” she said. “I wanted to bring joy back to the experience to people who were not having the best experience shopping.
“That’s not to say we only have plus sizes, because we have the range.”
McDowell built a successful online boutique business in Arizona after working for years in the corporate world of human resources. She was on a medical leave after having surgery, and it was nice not having to work in corporate America.
“I wondered if there was something different out there for me,” she said. “I was 42 years old (when I started my online business.) It was kind of scary to leave a well-paying job. Thankfully, I have a supportive husband.”
Allison and Rob McDowell, also share an adventurous streak. They agreed to move to Arizona in 2007 without having secured jobs. It was his dream to move there, partly for the weather and the mystique of the desert and long periods of sunshine. He said he was sick of clouds and rain.
Allison found work in HR, and Rob worked for a temp agency for about six months while waiting for his background in IT and data analysis to line up with something full time and permanent. He’s now a data analyst in the financial services industry and has been at the same company for nine years.
Allison thought she might do online sales for seven or eight months. Eight years later and a move from Arizona back to the Twin Cities two years ago, and she’s still doing it. They moved back to be closer to family, and told a Realtor to find something within a 20-mile radius of Coon Rapids.
She grew the business in Arizona with the help of pop-ups at her house, craft fairs and Facebook.
“One of the things I thought was different at first when I found my following is live sales,” she said. “Eight years ago nobody was really doing it, but now it’s really common.”
The business took a hit during the pandemic when people’s discretionary income dried up. Once they moved back north and started new patterns of life living in Ramsey, the McDowells uncovered downtown Elk River.
“We come down here to visit the boutiques and shops that are here, and we eat at the restaurants,” she said. “We love The Depot and Olde Main.”
At the end of February, she saw a Facebook post on an Elk River community page about a space in downtown Elk River.
“We weren’t even thinking about a storefront, but I love Elk River,” she said. “It’s such a cute area. I wondered if this would be good.”
Within a week they were signing a lease.
Now instead of having things just set up at their house, they have a storefront. The landlord gave them permission to create their vision and to make the necessary improvements
They have not regretted it.
“Right when I got the keys I started to hear from fellow business owners,” she said. “The girls at Edge, Deana (McLean at Salon on Main), Melissa (at Minne Made), Katie (Shatusky) at Thumbs Up. The support from the other business owners has been so awesome.
“You don’t know if you’re going to be seen as competitive or collaborative, and it’s very collaborative.”
The customers coming to the boutique have mostly been from Elk River, Otsego and Rogers, and women from Arizona and around the country have been following the progress from afar.
Allison plans to continue to manage her online presence and the storefront. For more information, visit https://www.allisonsaddicts.com/.
Most Popular
Comments / 0