By: Cara Winkley

Locally owned boutiques in Lawrence see an upward trend in spending and are thriving in a town where the majority of residents are penny-pinching college students.

Transcript

Intro: Natural Sound

Cara Winkley: Many say consumer spending has been down, but locally owned boutiques in Lawrence have different opinions.

CW: Courtney Ricketts, the Co-Owner of Nomads Boutique on Massachusetts Street in Lawrence, noticed the effect the economy had on her store within the past few years.

Ricketts: “Well, it did definitely kind of slow down when the economy started getting bad, but I think within the last year or so its starting to pick up.”

CW: Nomads is not the only locally owned boutique seeing upward trends in spending. Gretchen Mukmin, a sales associate at Sunflower Outdoor and Bike shop is seeing this same increase.

Mukmin:  “I don’t know if the economy is getting better or what but even the sidewalk sale was our best one ever.”

CW: In addition to the rising economy, there are other details that factor into this consumer spending increase. Katie Glas, the manager at Envy boutique gives her opinion.

Glas: “Well I know a lot of customers look at prices. So that’s the biggest part. And that’s why we try to keep ours lower, just to get them in our store.”

CW: Even though the boutiques are competitors, they still lend a helping hand to the competition. Ricketts, the co-owner of Nomads, helps the customer as well as her fellow boutique owners.

Ricketts: “You know, if somebody can’t find something in here, then ill send them across the street to the other clothing store.”

CW: Despite what most people say about the economy, here in Lawrence boutiques are doing just fine, and are even helping out the competition. This has been Cara Winkley reporting for Sunflower Style dot com. Stay Stylin’.