By: Deborah Johnson Wood
The mural on the wall inside sets the stage for one of Grand Rapids' most delightful women's clothing stores: a pink automobile—just the rear—with flowers blooming in the exhaust pipe, pink and white packages piled inside the back seat, curtains in the windows, and a whimsical license plate that reads Pink Blvd.
Pink Blvd, 974 Cherry Street, opened last month after owners Debbie Otten and Kirsten McLin invested a lot of time and money renovating 1,000 square feet of former office space into a hip, girly shop.
"We carry all kinds of accessories, gifts, and clothing for women in their mid-20s to hip 50s," Otten says.
The store carries clothes by Rebecca Beeson, Kensie, Billy Blue, Virtue jeans, and will have Level 99 soon. They also carry jewelry, purses, watches, belts, books, soaps, cards, sachets, candles, and even crystal chandeliers.
The shop is definitely one of a kind with 11-foot ceilings that carry the original tin, original wood floors that have been refinished and repainted with faux wood grain, and a few of those chandeliers in the front window.
Otten and McLin have been friends for 22 years. They recently hired their first employee, but plan to do much of the sales and customer service themselves.
"We feel it's important to have an owner on site," Otten says. "It's important because our customers come in and they like to see us. It's that personal service, the small business touch."
Source: Debbie Otten and Kirsten McLin, Pink Blvd
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Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth. She can be contacted at [email protected].
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