My Biz: Mount Vernon boutique added refurbished furniture to attract wider audience

On a quiet weekday, Mount Vernon’s First Street business district appears not that different from a half-century or more ago: small, locally-owned businesses housed in tidy brick storefronts. But the key to maintaining that image is the ability to change.

“The business has evolved,” Tasha Erickson said one recent morning. “I’ve evolved over the years. Things have changed quite a bit.”

Erickson, 50, opened Scarlett Boutique in a corner storefront on First Street – Mount Vernon’s main drag – in November 2007.

“Before that I was a social worker and a stay-at-home mom and just wanted to do something,” she said. “When my kids were young, I could still be a part of things and run my own schedule, and this worked out really well.”

Early on, Scarlett Boutique’s focus was women’s clothing, jewelry, and accessories. Erickson was soon forced to adjust as new shopping habits began to develop.

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“I think everyone has a love-hate relationship with Amazon,” she said. “It’s efficient and lovely, but it hurts us small businesses, so I had to find something different to do with the business that would bring people in.”

Which led Erickson to refurbishing used furniture.

“It’s really kind of changed the business and makes the business more eclectic and interesting,” she said. “If someone walks in and the clothes aren’t for them, they’ll still find something.”

Erickson and her family frequent estate sales and auctions for that inventory.

“I can’t park in my garage right now because we’ve picked up a lot of furniture,” she said. “We accumulate it, and my dad will fix drawers and shore everything up and it comes back to me.”

Refinishing the pieces in the back of the shop on slow weekday mornings, Erickson discovered Annie Sloan chalk paint, which goes on easy over old finishes in a wide range of colors and dries to a matte finish.

“It’s non-toxic, water-based, a clean way of reviving these pieces of furniture,” she said. “It has a cult following.”

Erickson began selling the Annie Sloan paints, one of the British brand’s few Iowa dealers, and taking on custom refinishing.

“I’ll have people call and say, ‘I have this piece, and can you paint it in this Annie Sloan color?’” she said. “That custom work really helps pay the bills, also.”

Tasha Erickson paints an end table at Scarlett Boutique in Mount Vernon, Iowa on Friday, May 23, 2025. (Nick Rohlman/The Gazette)

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Annie Sloan chalk paint color swatches are displayed at Scarlett Boutique in Mount Vernon, Iowa on Friday, May 23, 2025. (Nick Rohlman/The Gazette)

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Merchandise is displayed alongside restored furniture at Scarlett Boutique in Mount Vernon, Iowa on Friday, May 23, 2025. (Nick Rohlman/The Gazette)

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The paint and furniture work carry higher margins, but Erickson hasn’t neglected her clothing and accessory lines.

“I’ve realized my demographic is more young moms in their twenties, thirties, forties, as far as the clothing,” she said. “Now that I’m a little older, you see things a little differently on what kind of products you bring in and what kind of people you’re trying to reach. You definitely learn by failures.”

U.S. trade policies are today’s challenge.

“The tariffs are affecting me,” Erickson said. “The paint comes from Europe. I mostly use American (clothing) wholesalers, but to keep it at the right price point it has to come from somewhere else, typically China and Vietnam. I try be reasonable and keep the price point down, so I work hard to find that.”

Mount Vernon’s diverse yet cohesive business community helps.

“We have a community development group that does a really good job,” Erickson said. “As a whole, everyone’s super supportive. We use the same social media to get people here. Back in the day, small businesses used to be so vital, and people would come. People want to support little towns, they want to walk around with a coffee and shop, so we try to work together and promote each other as best we can.”