‘Artful and unique’ boutique opens offers urban fashion in downtown
BY BILLY BALL
Staff Writer
MONROE
Downtown Monroe’s newest business, Between Sisters, bills itself as “an artful and unique boutique,” offering a bit of urban fashion in the heart of Union County.
“We tried to bring a little of what you’d have to drive to Charlotte to get, ”said Justine Wynn, owner of the Main Street shop.
Wynn and her sister, Kansas resident Kirsten Mills, opened the store earlier this month, just months after Mills came up with the idea.
“It’s definitely a unique gift store,” Wynn said. “Lots of jewelry, lots of one of a kind items.”
The boutique is the latest addition to Monroe’s downtown, complete with handbags, clothes, decorative plates, colorful jewelry and all sorts of odds and ends that Wynn hopes will draw in the area’s walk-in traffic.
Wynn said she has seen good business since the opening of Between Sisters, much of which she attributes to an increase in the number of people living and working downtown. She said the city’s plans to further rejuvenate the area will only bring more customers.
“As long as they bring their businesses down here, I think the people will come,” she said.
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Mills has plans to eventually design her own jewelry and sell it in the store, one more way in which Between Sisters’ owners hope to provide a welcome shopping alternative to competing boutiques.
“What I love about this little store is it’s a whole mix and collection of eclectic-type gifts,” said Ann Rushing, head of Downtown Monroe Inc. “It’s not that gift you can go to WalMart to pick up.”
Rushing said the boutique also pro-vides an attractive front to draw in customers. “I think the key to any business downtown is what I call eye candy,” she said. “When you walk past her window, she has plenty of eye candy going on.”
Between Sisters is not the only source of activity in downtown Monroe.
Rushing said a European-style bakery, called SweeTea’s Bakery and Tea Room, is set to open Nov. 1 at 215 E. Franklin St.
“At this point, they haven’t signed all the necessary paper-work,” she said. “But it looks like every-thing’s going to be a go.”
Rushing said bakery owner Marie Fish plans to offer artesian pastries, cakes for all occasions, pastry plat-ters and a line of coffees and teas. Meanwhile, Rushing said city officials are still in talks to place a restaurant in the East Franklin Street site vacated by Teaspoons coffee shop.
— Billy Ball can be reached at (704) 2612226 or via e-mail at bball@theej.com.
