Suave Social Boutique may not be moving far but owner Maria David thinks it will make a big difference for business and the way she’s able to serve the community.
The boutique’s current home in Queen’s Square will shift to its new location at 43 Main St in the coming weeks.
“Originally when I was at 14 Queen Square it was just a clothing store and clothing accessories,” David said.
“I brought in local vendors, a lot of the items are locally made by artisans. That’s how it started out.”
As her business grew and she saw the expansions and popularity of the downtown evolve, David began brainstorming how to make her store more appealing to its customer base and draw them back into shops and away from online options.
The location change isn’t the only plans David has in the works, as she’ll be rolling out new offerings to enhance the shopping experience.
“My whole idea was to bring people out to shop again because everyone was thinking about online shopping,” she said.
“I really wanted people to come out and try things on. I figured if I had more space I could do more personal shopping and little events.”
David is securing a liquor license in hopes of making her store a place where people want to spend time.
“The big brand names don’t offer a personal shopping experience,” she said.
“We get a lot of couples and husbands. I want them to feel welcome here too and give them a place to sit. I want shopping to be fun.”
David’s plan is to have events like wine tastings, cocktail classes, sip and shops and vendor events that feature local artisans.
The ability to support other local businesses is important to David, as she believes helping one another benefits everyone.
“I feel like if you support them, they support you in return,” she said.
“I try to have one accessory per artisan and I’m loyal to them and they’re loyal to me. I think people love to support local.”
The move to Main Street also brings with it the opportunity to be a part of the road closure beginning May 19 and running until October 9, something David is looking forward to.
“There definitely will be more walk by traffic,” David said.
“Before I felt when people left the core they were done their shopping unless they were coming from Queen Square and saw me first. The old location wasn’t the greatest. It’s a game changer."
After seeing the changes in Galt over the years, David is excited to be a part of its revitalization.
“It’s nice to see the downtown coming back,” she said.
“It was hit or miss. People from outside of the area love it, people within the area are still kind of iffy about it. So were trying to convince them that we’re good now.”
Suave Social Boutique is set to open in the coming weeks.
