March 29, 2024

New boutique opens on Maple

Jesse Vicker’s Aura Boutique celebrated it’s ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday at it’s new 122 N. Maple Street location.

Vicker has been running Aura Boutique, a women’s clothing store, as an online business since January 2020.

“I’ve always enjoyed fashion and working with people, so I decided I wanted to start a little store of my own,” Vicker said. “I was still in college, so online worked best for me at the time.”

Vicker said the name of the store developed off of an idea of a person’s vibe.

“I was really looking for something to explain the vibe that you give off as a person and helping someone to really find that for themselves,” Vicker said. “I think a lot of that can be found in a person’s fashion, how they portray themselves, so I decided on Aura, like your aura as a person.”

It wasn’t long until Vicker started looking toward opening a brick-and-mortar store, but the birth of her son slowed things down a bit. However, Vicker was determined to open a physical location.

“I really thought that we would do better business-wise when people could come in and shop,” Vicker said. “I missed seeing people’s faces and being able to interact with them, and of course just reinvesting back into the town that I’ve always lived in.”

June 2022 signified a big step toward a physical store, with Vicker, along with her mom and a friend, visited the World Trade Center at the Dallas Market Center. Here the inventory for Aura Boutique was born.

The first day Vicker’s physical location opened was during Merry Marketplace on Dec. 3. Since then, Vicker has been opening at varied times, allowing for her school schedule.

“We’re still working on getting some permanent, set hours,” Vicker said. “We have to figure that out, since I’m still continuing schooling, but we’re definitely in it for the long haul.”

Union County Development Association’s Executive Director Mindy Stalker said she is excited to have more businesses coming to uptown Creston.

“I think it’s great that one of our spaces is being occupied on Maple Street,” Stalker said. “I think Jesse is a great addition to our uptown district. I think it’s just another stepping stone to our uptown revitalization project and I look forward to watch it continue.”

Stalker described some resources for other aspiring business owners.

“Sign up for our Just Start workshops,” Stalker said. “It’s a workshop for anyone that is thinking of starting a business all the way up to someone that is in their first three years of operating a business.”

Additionally, Stalker encouraged people to contact Jamie David, the Small Business Development Center Director. David can be contacted at david@swcciowa.edu or via phone, 641-782-1438.

Erin Henze

Originally from Wisconsin, Erin is a recent graduate from UW-Stevens Point. Outside of writing, she loves to read and travel.