‘Chic, trendy, affordable.’ Women’s clothing boutique to open in downtown Bellefonte
Ashley Foltz and Lydia Shafer saw a gap in Bellefonte’s clothing market and seized the opportunity.
The two Lock Haven natives, who both own their own businesses, decided to combine their strengths to bring Bellefonte a new women’s clothing boutique.
“There’s not a lot of shopping options here for younger (women) ... I don’t feel like there’s anyone like us here,” said Foltz.
Lock Boutique, a name inspired by the duo’s shared hometown 27 miles northeast of Bellefonte, will take the place of Shafer’s photography studio at 136 W. High St. Through bimonthly pop-up shops, Foltz and Shafer have started testing their business idea in the community and found some success.
“I think our goal was always to open (a shop) and it was just a matter of testing the waters. It was just a matter of getting ourselves ready,” said Foltz.
Foltz, a mother of two young children, said she’s always been drawn to fashion but particularly values comfort and versatility. Shafer, she said, is “a little ... trendier.”
Foltz also owns Skeleton Key Boutique, which opened a brick and mortar location in Lock Haven last May after selling online-only since October 2018. She knew she wanted to expand her business, but was busy balancing entrepreneurship with motherhood and physician assistant work.
“When I met Lydia, I felt like her and I just had this connection and we’re different and the same. We’re very different in that she’s very organized and I’m not,” said Foltz. “But we sort of bring out the best in each other, and we have similar styles.”
Shafer added, “I just knew if we joined forces, it would be pretty amazing. And I feel like we do have really big dreams and goals for the business.”
Shafer, who owns Lydia Shafer Photography and founded entrepreneur network Pennsylvania Girl Gang, will be stepping back from some photography projects to take on more responsibility with Lock. She’ll no longer offer boudoir photo shoots or product shoots in her studio, but she said she’ll continue shooting weddings, engagements and marketing content for Lock and Skeleton Key.
“I’m not moving away, I’m just focusing on some of my favorite parts of (photography),” she said. She added, “I feel like this space has always evolved, and it’s already done a lot of different things. I wanted more people to be able to use it and come in more often than what I was previously doing.”
Bellefonte is the perfect space for their boutique, said Shafer, because “the community here is amazing, we already have like a ton of support from other local businesses.”
The town is also growing its population and creative community, she said. “It’s just a cool place to be right now.”
Foltz and Shafer said they want shopping at Lock to be a welcoming experience for women of all ages and sizes.
“It’s just a lot of neutral, basic pieces that incorporate well into anybody’s wardrobe,” said Foltz. “I mean, they really can be dressed up, dressed down, we’re trying to do sizes small through 3XL so we have a little bit for everybody.”
They stock their store with clothing found at conventions held in AmericasMart Atlanta. About 1,700 vendors, mostly from Los Angeles, bring their wares to the convention center every three months, said Foltz. Because they only get a certain amount of each style, she said, items sell out quickly and they’re able to turn over inventory faster.
For Shafer, the experience of picking out the pieces, having them shipped to the store and opening the boxes “is like Christmas.”
Lock Boutique’s grand opening is set for March 21 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Regular hours after that are Thursdays from 4-6 p.m., Fridays from 3-6 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
“We’re planning on getting in so many styles each week that it’ll be constantly fresh every single weekend, so we’ll use that time Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday to sort of revamp the store and hopefully have — literally every single week — new styles,” said Foltz.
Their mission is to bring “chic, trendy, affordable” clothing more commonly found in urban areas to Bellefonte, said Shafer, but even more importantly, they love empowering women.
“Seeing the things that we’ve picked out and love on other women, and their smiles and excitement when they find something they love — it’s very rewarding,” said Foltz.
Lock Boutique merchandise is available online at lock-style.com and www.facebook.com/LockBoutiqueStyle. Follow them on Instagram @lock_boutique_.
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