The Ground Floor: Swisher bank building has new life as boutique

SWISHER - Sonya LaGrange and her mother, Dawn Terrell, had no thought of opening a boutique when they toured a vacant, one-story building in downtown Swisher last year.

LaGrange, who is a Realtor, said her professional curiosity prompted the visit more than anything else.

'I saw the building sitting here for a while and wanted to see what it looked like inside,” she recalled.

But when they stepped inside the brick building that had been home to a bank in the early 1900s, the wheels started turning.

'It was in really good shape,” Terrell noted. 'We said it would make a really cute boutique.”

So they bought the building.

While they had no previous retail experience, mother and daughter had a keen interest in revitalizing the town of Swisher, where both women grew up and now live as next-door neighbors. The family's directional-drilling business, where Terrell works, is located in Swisher. And LaGrange is one of the organizers of the annual Swisher Fun Days festival.

'We'd like to see Swisher grow in a positive way,” LaGrange said.

Right around the same time that LaGrange and Terrell purchased the old bank building, LaGrange and a friend also bought the Black Squirrel Tap next door. But LaGrange said opening a boutique presented a bigger challenge than running a bar.

First, LaGrange and Terrell worked with the Kirkwood Small Business Development Center to come up with a business plan. They originally envisioned renting space to individual vendors who in turn would manage their own section. But they later determined the floor plan - it's 1,400 square feet on the main floor - wasn't well-suited for that model.

'We also decided we would have more fun doing it ourselves,” LaGrange said.

Next, they attended their first vendor show at the Merchandise Mart in Chicago.

'Not being in retail, that first show was a bit overwhelming,” Terrell recalled. 'We stepped off the elevator and it was vendor, vendor, vendor as far as we could see.”

But they came up with a game plan to get through it all and found some good merchandise to bring back to their new store.

They then had to learn all of the ins and outs of the retail industry.

'A lot goes into this - I had no idea,” Terrell said. 'You have to get product in, mark it, put it on the racks.”

They opened Vault Boutique - the name a nod to the building's history - on Sept. 14.

The store features women's and girls' fashion, home décor and gift items, including the work of several local artisans and crafters.

In keeping with their objective of revitalizing downtown Swisher, LaGrange and Terrell are working with other local businesses and groups to draw people to the community. One upcoming event will be the first Vault Street Market on June 10 featuring live music and a variety of vendors.

l Know a small business in operation for less than a year - and it doesn't have to be retail - that would make a good feature for 'The ground Floor”? Contact michaelchevy.castranova@thegazette.com.

At a Glance

l Owners: Dawn Terrell and Sonya LaGrange

l Business: Vault Boutique

l Address: 76 Second St. SE, Swisher

l Telephone: (319) 857-4272

l Website: www.vaultboutiqueia.com

l Facebook: www.facebook.com/vaultboutiqueia