Rose City Boutique, located at 115 E. Ward St., is opening at noon on Thursday, Nov. 5.
The boutique will feature women’s and little girl’s clothing, DIY paint and paint supplies, jewelry, cookies and artisan items like stained glass and homemade cards.
Johnston said that she did not have plans to open a boutique this year in her hometown, but after looking at the building on E. Ward St., which previously house the Guitar Attention Center, it became a “group endeavor" quickly.
“Every single room I walked in, I could see a purpose for," Johnston said. "We’re going to have a boutique space, workshop space, a YouTube and photography studio, we’ve already rented out an office, we have a room that music lessons could be done in and we have a room for online inventory.”
Johnston said that she was originally looking for a room to rent to paint furniture and to continue growing her furniture business, but she realized the building had more potential.
She said she started her furniture business a little over a year ago after going through a series of losses in her life.
“I had three friends between the ages of 27 and 35 die in a year and a half span,” Johnston said. “I just started painting furniture in my back yard as a means of therapy.”
While she was painting furniture, she said she became a paint vendor at Village Cup/Village Chic in South Charleston.
After finding the building, Johnston said she talked with Jennifer McKee, co-owner of Village Cup/Village Chic, about the new endeavor and within an hour, they had a business plan. Several of the vendors at Village Cup/Village Chic will expand to Johnston’s boutique.
“We have set up both locations to have very different vibes," she said. "There’s definitely that shabby, chic, rustic vibe at her store. She has the coffee shop inside. At my store it’s a little more of the upscale vibe.”
Johnston compared her boutique to Brass Duck, a gift shop that was previously located on N. Limestone St.
She explained that her relationship with her vendors, artisans and the owners of Village Cup/Village Chic feels “very symbiotic.”
“The thing that is most satisfying about this entire journey has been the fact that it is a whole team of people who are succeeding through the relationship we have put together,” Johnston said. "We all bring something unique to the table.”
Johnston added that she couldn’t have done this without them and her family.
“Every corner of the boutique has been very thoughtfully and carefully put together, so that they (customers) have a wonderful experience supporting people in their community," she said.
Rose City Boutique will open noon to 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday and noon to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. For more information, search for Rose City Boutique on Facebook.
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