What inspired you to start a boutique?

Lea: I have always enjoyed designing and shopping! My favorite thing to do was to go to a town that has little boutiques in them, because you can find things that the big-box stores don’t have. I have eclectic taste so mixing design elements was always something I’ve done in my own home. Owning my own little boutique was a dream that I never thought I would be able to do.

Edd: I’ve been in the retail furniture industry for 30 years … I started when I was 5. I was always excited to see the furnishings that stores used for display and I thought I could design and build some of the same things at home. So, by opening this boutique I’m able to make my dream come true by offering things in our store that Lea and I create.

Lea: Ummmmm…. 5 years old? I call shenanigans…. 😉

Edd: Geeze, can’t I have some fun? Okay, okay…. I started in my 20’s…. Anyway, I also love designing and creating. Being able to take something and restore it to new condition or repurpose it to something totally different is my passion. When Lea & I met our favorite dates were shopping at the Goodwill or going to flea-markets and finding something that we could either restore or repurpose…. So, shopping for her and finding diamonds-in-the-rough for me, we were together doing the same thing, but with different purposes… the perfect match!

Lea: Yep, the perfect match! How we were able to have a boutique in Ephrata, was simply God. We have friends that live here, in Ephrata, and we would come to visit them so we could get away from the hustle-n-bustle of city-life in Seattle. I was working in the healthcare industry while Edd was managing a high-end furniture warehouse. Long story short, my friend Amy and I went into “that cute little corner boutique” called Vanden Bos and I remarked at how the store was so cute and how it would be a dream to be able to have my own boutique right here in Ephrata just like it. Little did I know that Paula Vanden Bos overheard me and mentioned that her and her husband were looking to retire and the store was for sale! All I can say is…. God is Good!

Edd: Yes, God IS good and we are blessed to be here, living our dream!