New bohemian boutique opens in Apache Mall
May 13—ROCHESTER — A new bohemian boutique has entered the Apache Mall hoping to provide consumers with cute clothes without the boutique price.
Willow James Tyler opened in the Apache Mall on May 1, 2024, next to Lululemon. The boutique features chic and bohemian pieces picked by the owner Hattie Linbo, who has a long history in the fashion industry.
"I have a background in fashion design and right out of college there was a boutique that carried my own clothing line," Linbo said. "I designed and made all the pieces and then she carried it in her boutique. At the same time, I had a photography business. Photography just ramped up and I didn't have time to do both. I put the fashion on the backburner for a little bit and I knew I always wanted to get back to it in some way or the other."
The name Willow James Tyler comes from a name that Linbo loved for a little girl. Willow James was a little too bohemian for her husband for a baby name, but she kept it on the backburner. Now, she can incorporate the name into her boutique and has added Tyler, the name of her husband.
The name perfectly complements the design and clothing sold within the store. The location carries sizes small through extra large and once something is sold out, it's most likely gone. Linbo might bring in something similar, but wants there to be new clothing in the store often. She is bringing in a new collection of clothing and accessories every week.
"I was doing pop-ups with the intent that someday I'd have a storefront," said Linbo. "I just wanted a neutral Bohemian and effortless chic style for my boutique. That's where the inspiration kind of comes from for the pieces and the style that you see here."
Linbo knows that boutiques are usually associated with higher price tags, so she wanted to make sure to offer cute clothing at a more reasonable price.
"At the core of my boutique, I always want to offer stylish trendy, typical boutique pieces, not at the typical boutique price," she said. "That's kind of my mantra is to offer affordable boutique fashion. That's something that I always keep in mind when I'm buying for the boutique too."
The first week of business went well and Linbo is excited for the future. The support from returning clients and new has been such a positive experience for her and she is happy to jump back into the world of fashion.
"It's been wonderful," she said. "So far, opening week has been great and emotional just because it is so real and a dream come true. I'm seeing customers that came to my pop-ups and have been following come in to support the new storefront. My photography clients have also been showing up."
Linbo had used the space by the food court for pop-up shops before and knew that the mall would offer a good amount of foot traffic and new business. The boutique has had a wide range of consumers from teenagers to people in their 80s.
In addition to the wide age demographic the boutique has seen, Linbo has also seen a plethora of styles come in. Seeing and hearing how people want to style the pieces is one of Linbo's favorite things.
"Just seeing it all come together has been so rewarding and so fun and I love seeing people's reactions and response to the boutique and just being so excited to have somewhere new to shop," Linbo said. "They'll come in and they're just like, 'I love it' and 'it's minimalistic and beautiful.' Just hearing the reactions to the boutique is self-fulfilling."
Linbo is excited to bring a new boutique to the Rochester area. She is very passionate about fashion and is excited to share her own tastes and styles.
"This is a boutique for everyone," said Linbo. "I truly think that no matter who you are, you can find something here that fits your style. So we welcome everybody and we are happy to help with styling you."
