New women’s boutique opens in Coshocton
Alicia Blakely recently opened Lush Maria, a women’s clothing store located in Newell’s Mini Plaza on Second Street. Jen Jones | Beacon
COSHOCTON – Lush Maria held its grand opening on Jan. 28. Located in Newell’s Mini Plaza on Second Street, the boutique offers clothing for women, teenagers to late 30s. Alicia Blakely decided to open the store as a way to help women in Coshocton find beautiful, contemporary clothes with reasonable prices.
Blakely said, “I like working with people and I’m always being told I pick out clothes that go well together, so I started researching how to start my own business.” She found a young woman in another state who opened a boutique and was encouraged to give it a try.
She picked out the name as a play on her name. “My middle name is Marie, so I changed that, and people often call me “Lish” so that became Lush. I wanted something that would stick in people’s minds.” Blakely said her first week has been busy and she has gotten a lot of compliments on the clothing she has in stock.
One comment that was mentioned to her was that it was hard to find the store, even knowing it was in the mini plaza, as it is tucked away in the back corner. She has a sign ordered that will sit beside Second Street to point new customers to her store. Another improvement that is coming soon is the ability to order online and your clothes will be ready for pick up at the store. This service will be offered free of charge. If you would like your clothing shipped, Blakely will be happy to do that for a small fee.
Blakely orders her clothing from Los Angeles and is limiting the number of each item she purchases. She said this keeps everyone from wearing the same outfit in such a small town. Blakely also tries to order clothing that is made in the USA as she believes this is important to many people.
She is also offering a selection of jewelry and has been in discussion with a local woman who makes handmade jewelry. She hopes to offer these items in her store, too. Blakely welcomes her customers to let her know what they are looking for and she will try to order those items. Right now, she has a selection of dresses, shirts and sweaters, until she sees what her customers want.
Hours for Lush Maria are Tuesday – Saturday 12 to 6 p.m. and Sunday 12 to 4 p.m. The store is closed Mondays. For more information, call 740-294-7036.
Category: Business
