Boutique in Lenoir gets storefront on Main Street
Jul. 14—Joyce Kestner and Jerica Bowman started their business in a basement.
It was November 2020, and operating completely online provided no real way to advertise the business to those not on the internet. On top of that, starting a business during the pandemic made getting products difficult.
Bowman said that vendors and the availability of brand-name items were dwindling when she and her mother began looking for products to sell.
Since then, however, Kestner and Bowman decided to pivot and open a storefront. They now own Twisted Ks Korral, a boutique in downtown Lenoir.
Finally transitioning out of their basement last February, they moved into the second floor space above 118 Main St. NW before finally getting the opportunity to get a street-level storefront in June.
"We happened to walk down the sidewalk one Thursday and see the 'for lease' sign," Bowman said. "We saw the sign Thursday, signed the lease on Friday and we moved our stuff in and opened the Tuesday after that."
The store opened June 15. They had finally gotten their feet planted somewhere and had a means of advertising across different platforms, Bowman said. People can walk in and shop now as well as buy online. The number of vendors emerging now that had temporarily slowed production during the pandemic has made acquiring products easier.
Since moving to the middle of town, Bowman said, business has picked up. They are selling all kinds of brands and products.
The boutique sells clothes, shoes, jewelry, handbags, some men's sports attire, hats, accessories and gift items, among other things.
Aside from offering the option to shop in store, Bowman said that once a week, she and her mother do a Facebook Live video where they show off products and list sizes and prices. Watchers who have accounts online can comment on the video the item number and size of a product they want, then it will automatically go into their cart on their account. The customer then has four hours to decide if they want to purchase it. If not, it goes back in stock online and in store.
Bowman said that for online orders, customers can come to the store for pickup or items can be shipped the next day.
Kestner and Bowman hope to expand the boutique to multiple locations but will keep the main store local.
"We wanted to keep something here," she said.
Currently, store hours are Wednesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., or customers can shop online anytime at https://twistedkskorral.commentsold.com/.
Reporter Carmen Boone can be reached at 828-610-8723
Reporter Carmen Boone can be reached at 828-610-8723
