The downtown jewelry and gift boutique Dear Prudence is rocking. After opening a second store in MoDiv in March, the store quickly needed more room and expanded in July.
Prudence Kauffman, founder, has a inspiring backstory which is outlined on her website
here, but for now, she is focused now on growth.
"We opened our MoDiv location back in March and we just moved to this larger space at the beginning of July. We really wanted to have a location downtown and be part of this amazing growth," she says. "We noticed there was nowhere to buy children's items downtown, so we were lucky enough to sign on with
tori's bitty bows to be their exclusive retailer in Michigan."
All of tori's items are handmade in Chicago. "So, we now have hair bows, hats, tutus, [and] onesies. We expanded to make room for all these adorable items," Kauffman says.
Getting the word out and perceptions about parking remain challenges for all urban retailers, but Kauffman is very appreciative of the energy and efforts to make downtown a retail destination.
"Dear Prudence started as a dream of ours. The whole fact that it's real is still a shock to me," she says. "We are tiny, but growing. We feel like we have a lot to offer and so far, we've been fortunate that people care about what we do."
Kauffman's first store opened in Gaslight Village in July 2012. They currently have three full-time and two part-time employees at both locations, and anticipate adding more jobs during ArtPrize and for the holiday shopping season.
"We have been fortunate to have surrounded ourselves with amazing employees, customers, [and] vendors," Kauffman says. "We feel blessed to be in Grand Rapids. This city is just full of great ideas and amazing opportunity; we can't imagine being anywhere else."
To learn more about Dear Prudence, you can visit their Facebook page
here.
Source: Prudence Kauffman, Dear Prudence
Writer: John Rumery; Innovation and Jobs Growth Editor
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