MANSFIELD — Keaton Partin sniffled, blinking back tears of joy, and grabbed the giant pair of scissors. Her best friend Danielle James stood beside her and grinned as they cut the ribbon in front of their new boutique.
“We didn’t know if one person was going to show up, so thank you a lot for coming,” she said.
The Wilder Boutique opened its brick and mortar shop Friday in at 1303 Park Avenue East. The shop offers a variety of women’s clothing, accessories and home goods.
“I love their boho vibe,” said Nicole McHenry, a former co-worker who came to the ribbon cutting.
McHenry held a pair of small hoop earrings in the shape of feathers, a set of bracelets and a plaid button-down top.
“It’s stuff that you don’t see in other boutiques in the area,” she added. “I like that they have the home decor as well.”
Kristin Blunk milled through a rack of shirts. She met Partin and James through work about three years ago.
“They’re great people,” Blunk said. “I’ve always loved their style, so when they said they were doing this, I thought it was perfect for them.”
Partin and James met ten years ago waiting tables at the Brown Derby Roadhouse. They hit it off immediately and reconnected after becoming realtors at the same brokerage.
The pair opened The Wilder Boutique a year ago as an online-only retailer.
“We would go to different areas, different boutiques and we couldn’t really find things that we absolutely loved,” Partin said.
Their online business took off quickly and soon outgrew their homes.
“We were hoarding all this in our basements and it was insane,” Partin recalled.
After Partin’s husband purchased the building, she saw potential in the empty storefront.
“It wasn’t even hard to convince (James), she was like ‘This is perfect,’ ” Partin said. “She’s been amazing, I couldn’t ask for a better business partner for real.”
James said she’s equally grateful to be in business with Partin, who’s had her back as she prepares for the birth of her first child later this month.
“She’s been able to pick up the slack. I can’t do any heavy lifting, can’t do the manual labor,” James said.
“I honest to God don’t know what I’d do without her. Having a business partner that I know is going to kill it while I’m on maternity leave, it takes the weight of my shoulders.”
Both women said they’re proud to show their children what can happen when you work hard and chase your dreams.
“I’m so excited. I just think of my own daughter and I want to be an example for her,” James said.
The Wilder Boutique is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Their online shop is still up and running.
