Bits of Business: Mother-son team open boutique

Jennifer Thomas

There’s one more reason to “envy” Ginny Glickman — she’s got her own boutique now.

Glickman and son Chase opened the doors to n’V, a new contemporary men’s and women’s clothing boutique, at 101 W. Main St., Boalsburg.

“It’s been a dream, and it’s finally a reality,” Ginny Glickman said. “It’s kind of surreal.”

Construction was finished last Friday afternoon and, after a whirlwind of preparation like steaming out wrinkles or window decor, they flipped the sign to “open” last Saturday just to see what happened.

It turned into a very busy day, the first of many challenges and opportunities the mother-son team is looking forward to in the future.

“She’s the talent. I’m the business,” jokes Chase, who recently graduated from Penn State with a business degree.

But for Ginny, n’V is the chance to build upon years of fashion experience.

She was in the last human development class at Penn State that went through clothing design and production. She spent most of her career purchasing clothing and working for various retailers locally.

Now it’s her chance. She’s developed a boutique to keep up with some of the trends of larger cities, but at the same time find a balance with what the region wants.

“They can’t find boutique, unique clothing in this town,” she said.

There are button-down shirts for men, with decals and appliqués, women’s tees with designs, jeans from designers such Joe’s Jeans, Not Your Daughters Jeans and 7 Jeans. A mix of accessories, such as purses, sunglasses, and locally made and produced jewelry by Brit Hostetler, owner of 202A in downtown State College, are also available.

She and Chase will be hand-picking picking items in fashion hubs such as New York and Las Vegas several times each year, she said.

The constant flow of merchandise will make the shop unique for shoppers, she said, because once an item sells out, something new will be brought into take its place.

Items can be special-ordered as well, she said.

Hours are still being ironed out, but right now the plan is to match hours of other retailers in downtown Boalsburg.

There will be extended hours during the holiday season and Sunday hours as well. For more information, call 466-6887.

Dairy Queen update

It might be cold, but it appears temperature doesn’t affect your desire for Dairy Queen.

DQ owner Don Boller said he’s hearing from just about anyone he runs into about his new store at 310 W. Aaron Drive, which has faced some delays in construction.

“Everywhere I go, it’s all I hear,” he said.

Not that he’s complaining.

Boller said he’s hoping to see that momentum and interest carry into December — the new store should be open by the second week of the month, he said Wednesday.

“We’re so close to opening that we’re hiring,” he said.

In the meantime, the character of the location is starting to peek through. Windows went in this week. Tile flooring was being laid and the kitchen equipment should arrive next week.

“It’s coming together really fast now,” he said. “They said in two more weeks we should have everything done.”

But, he added, that he needs to hire 70 people before the establishment can open. Right now, he’s well off that mark.

If you’re interested in a job, there’s a job trailer at the site where applications can be picked up, or you can apply at the CareerLink on the Benner Pike.

Dunkin Donuts

Those of you looking for Dunkin Donuts will have to wait a bit longer.

The opening date for the shop at Fraser Street and College Avenue is a “moving target” right now but should happen sometime in mid-December, a spokesperson for the company said.

Business Matters

You’ve got mail — or you should have.

By now, most Centre County businesses should have a letter from me asking for some perspective about the current business environment.

This survey will be the basis for our upcoming Business Matters section, so your thoughts are important.

I’m asking you to please take a minute to fill this out and drop it in the mail to me. If you haven’t received the survey and are interested in participating, please contact me at jthomas@centredaily.com or 231-4638.

Jennifer Thomas can be reached at 231-4638. Read her “Bits of Business” blog at www.centredaily.com.