PHOTO GALLERY — State of economy leads to super boutique in Mid County
Published 12:40 am Thursday, October 13, 2022
From left: Juanita Dixon, owner of Lil Mommy’s Boutique, and Linda Moore, owner of Honey & Luna Boutique, recently joined their businesses in the same store. (Monique Batson/The News)
Lil Mommy’s Boutique carries various gifts, including Christian-themed items and books. (Monique Batson/The News)
Lil Mommy’s Boutique carries kids and women’s clothing. (Monique Batson/The News)
Pictured are decorative shoes at Honey & Luna Boutique. (Monique Batson/The News)
Honey & Luna Boutique is located with Lil Mommy’s Boutique inside The Courtyard in Groves. (Monique Batson/The News)
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GROVES — As inflation forced an increase in everything from food to fuel, two boutiques in Groves were forced to face their futures.
“People stopped shopping,” said Juanita Dixon, owner of Lil Mommy’s Boutique, which opened in October 2021. “We have rent to pay and all this other stuff. And basically at about the same time, we had to make a decision on what we were going to do. Things got a little scary. I’m sure with all small businesses, the same question was coming up. What do we do?”
Linda Moore, owner of Honey & Luna, was facing a similar situation.
So the two Groves business owners who knew each other through networking found a way to solve the problem that not only helped each other but their customers, too — they began sharing one store.
“It’s beneficial to both of us,” Moore said. “We kind of compliment each other. We don’t carry exactly the same things.”
Both women opened their businesses online in September 2019.
“I started in my home and did that during COVID,” Dixon said. “The driving force behind that was to be available for my children because they’re young, and I just wanted to have more flexibility. Working from home, I quickly learned I was missing that customer connection. So that’s when the idea of opening the store came.”
And the customer, she said, has always been their priority. They cater to shoppers in ways such as assisting them with pairing clothing and accessories, showing how they can use one clothing item in multiple ways to maximize its use, and ensuring if someone in a dressing room needs another size, it’s brought to them.
Moore began her business because she saw a need for a different type of clothing.
“So many women my age can’t find things that they like,” she said. “Everything seems like it’s (for teenagers) and size 1 or 3, or much older ladies. I had so many friends and myself say we can’t find anything.”
After joining with Lil Mommy’s in mid-August, the two have created a unique boutique that caters to multiple groups of people up to size 2X.
Dixon also carries Christian-themed gifts for children and adults, while Moore’s store also has a variety of shoes.
The two stores can be found inside The Courtyard Cafe on Lincoln Avenue in Groves.
