Connie's Boutique: 'Business With a Servant's Heart'

By Greg Miller
STAR STAFF
gmiller@starhq.com

   According to its slogan, Connie's Boutique is a "business with a servant's heart."
   "I will work for you," said Connie Bowery, owner of the business. "Whatever you're asking for, I will try to get it for you. If you ask me for a certain brand name...I'll do my best to try to get it for you.
   "I try to be very warm and one-on-one with my customers. It's family oriented. I have a close relationship with a lot of my customers, and I like it like that."
   Connie's Boutique's biggest accomplishment last year was "getting people from different areas, not only Elizabethton," to shop at the business. "I have a lot of people from the surrounding counties who came in," Bowery said. "Trying to get new people in was my biggest accomplishment."
   People from North Carolina, Greeneville, Unicoi and Jonesborough shopped at Connie's Boutique. Bowery hopes that the number of customers at the shop continues to increase this year.
   Connie's Boutique has merchandise for career-minded and sports-minded women, according to Bowery. "I sell anything from the career line to a dressy dress for the evening wear," she said.
   The shop sells a variety of ladies U.T. Vols-related merchandise, including vests, turtlenecks, fanny packs, Oxford shirts, sweaters, T-shirts, lounge pants, umbrellas, porcelain dolls, mugs and cups," I do really well with U.T. merchandise," Bowery said.
   Connie's Boutiques sells sweater coats. "I've done really well with those this year," she said.
   Connie's Boutique sells various brand names, including Toufan, Focus, Jessica Howard, Positive Attitude, Spencer Alexis, Design Options, and Sea Suns.
   The store will have some new clothing lines this year. "Design Options is a sweater line," Bowery commented. "I've also got Sea Suns. It's more of a cruise line wear. I'll be getting a lot of those in this spring. It's for the lady who is going on a cruise and needs many different outfits. You can pick and choose from one line. You'll have your slacks, your dresses, your crop pants. There are a lot of options in the Sea Suns wear."
   The shop's specialty, Bowery said, is "the unique line of jewelry and accessories that adds the finishing touch to each outfit. I carry purses, accessories, all the jewelry to match your outfits. Individual attention to each customer and their satisfaction are our main goals.
   "I carry petites, which is a big thing. I don't know of anybody else in Elizabethton that carries petites. Petites is a big style here. That's why I opened the store, to carry petites. I do carry a lot of petites, and I have a lot of people who want petites." Petite sizes run 4-16.
   Pins, hats and clothing will be available for The Purple and Red Hat Society's monthly meetings. "It's all over the world, but Carter County is just starting the club," Bowery said. "I've had a lot of people ask me for the merchandise. The ladies over 50 wear red hats and they wear purple with them. The pink hats are for the ladies under 50. If they're under 50, they wear pink and lavender."
   Bowery, who has several years experience in retail and sales experience in the Elizabethton area, opened the boutique on Sept. 1, 2000, to fulfill a dream of owning her own business.
   Connie's Boutique, 429 E. Elk Ave., is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. For more information, call 542-2172.