Why a new women’s clothing boutique opened in downtown Bellefonte — and what makes it unique
Emily Boone greets all her customers at her downtown Bellefonte boutique with a smile so big it’s impossible to hide, even beneath a surgical mask.
After opening the doors Thursday to her first storefront — By A Thread, a women’s clothing boutique at 135 W. High St. — Boone has plenty to smile about, after all.
The 31-year-old business owner no longer lives the life of a “gypsy,” waking up at 5 a.m. and lugging racks of clothing to different pop-up shops and teardowns like at Altoona’s Jaffa Shrine Center. Instead, she now takes a short drive to a permanent, cozy space with brass ceilings and an exposed stone wall — an unlikely dream that started three years ago and has fast transformed into a burgeoning business that’s shifted from the online space.
“It’s kind of a ‘pinch-me’ moment,” Boone said on a recent morning, from behind her register. “It is heartbreaking so many places have been forced to close down but, to be able to open up and offer something to customers during a really challenging time, it’s a positive.”
Boone chuckled when asked whether friends shared any doubts about opening a physical location during the pandemic. Sure, she said, it’s something she and her husband Matt often discussed. And, sure, it’s a bit unusual. But nothing about Boone’s journey from full-time employee at Home Instead Senior Care to full-time business owner has been usual.
Her seed money, all $500, came after she won a contest three years ago from Stuckey Subaru, one where she was randomly selected after writing a Facebook review. She read books, joined business groups, browsed wholesalers, researched — and finally handpicked and purchased about three dozen garments, or one Ikea rack’s worth of clothes, around 2018.
She set up a temporary space at her sister’s Huntingdon bakery, used the profits to buy more clothes, then set up at the Jaffa, then used those profits. Then she set up at The Cakery, Friday in the ‘Fonte, and other teardowns and pop-ups, and kept reinvesting.
Boone, a bubbly Penn State Altoona grad with a marketing background, soon gained a following for her handpicked sweaters, jackets, skirts, jeans, and more, that could be worn for multiple occasions. When the pandemic hit, she even tried new software that essentially allowed her to operate her own QVC-type channel on Facebook. Sales increased about 600%, after a nervous Boone devoted Thursdays to speaking with customers online.
So, over the summer, after months of thinking about the next step, she decided to make her part-time hustle a career by opening a physical location. She jotted down scribbles in her notepad, how many square feet she’d need, required inventory, everything she could think of.
“I realized it was doable,” Boone said. “I get that it’s a time of uncertainty, but I’ve always been of the mentality that things happen for a reason. And being a small business owner, what I learned is the hustle needed behind a business. So, when the opportunity presented itself, well, I felt like opportunities like that don’t come around very often.”
When her friend from The Cakery told her she was looking to expand, leaving her lease behind, Boone jumped at the opportunity to take it over. The landlord was only too happy to oblige and have another tenant.
“Not that this is easy,” Boone said, laughing. “But I appreciate being able to bring my bag in here and sit down, and that’s it. There’s no more moving racks around and everything.”
By A Thread is open from Wednesday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on all days except Saturday, when it’s open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. It’s across the street from another boutique, but Boone said she considers that owner a friend — “Community over competition,” she said — and one who greeted her on the day of her opening with a bouquet of roses.
Boone said the two believe their styles are distinct and there’s more than enough room in Bellefonte for the two to thrive. Boone’s shop is smaller, and Lock Boutique (136 W. High St.) offers more variety — but Boone, who used to work at Hollister in high school and spend most of her paycheck there, believes customers will also enjoy clothes she handpicks for most any purpose.
She pointed to her own knit white sweater as an example. She’s worn it for two winters now.
“I want my customers to be able to pull these pieces out of their closet year after year, season after season, and wear them because it makes them feel better,” she said.
Three years ago, Boone started off with 36 garments, one clothing rack, a dream — and a very supportive husband. Now she has hundreds of garments, along with shoes and jewelry, a physical storefront — and a proud spouse.
“Yeah, it’s still a risk,” Boone acknowledged. “But the reward is there.
“And I think it’s very worth it.”
This story was originally published November 23, 2020 at 11:05 AM.
