Winston-Salem boutique offers selection of clothes, gifts

Thank you. Time. Now is 9:32 switching gears earlier this morning. We did hear about some local boutiques to check out for your spring shopping and now we are hearing from one of those boutiques live for a deeper dive in. I’d like to welcome in Nikki johnson, she is the owner of Ash and Opal boutique in Winston Salem, which just celebrated one year in business. So Nikki, congratulations, thank you for joining us. Oh so what was the inspiration behind opening Ash and Opal and also the name. I’m curious. Yeah, so I always wanted to um I’ve always wanted to own my own business and my daughter and I are just really into fashion and um you know we always love shopping and you know going to other boutiques so we decided to purchase a boutique. Um she helps me quite a bit. Her name is Ashley and that’s where the Ash comes from. Um and Opal is my birthstone, so we just kind of combined the two to make it sort of a fun name. It’s very catchy, I think it works really well. So I’m curious what you think separates your boutique from the others in the area. You were excited to get one of your own. So what makes you different? We are very small boutique. Um we provide excellent customer service and not the other boutiques don’t, but I think because of our size um and our commitment and excitement to help people. Um We just we’re able to provide amazing customer service. So that’s what sets us apart but we do have a lot of like fun styles and gift E. Type things. Um Young contemporary. We wanted a place where a mother and a daughter could come in in both shop and um enjoy their experience anywhere from 15 to you know 65. Well we had Kristi Bellis on earlier from the go to Winston Salem. She spoke about that customer service, the kind of personal stylist aspect that you get there, which I was very excited about because I go in and sometimes I feel a little lost. I don’t know exactly what I’m looking for. So can you tell us more about that customer service and what we can expect when you walk through the doors of Ashton Opal but when you come through this door we’re going to first figure out, you know do you need a gift? Are you looking for a date night outfit? Um back to school clothes You know so we kind of start there and then we just kind of try to get to know the customer. I feel like that’s the most important part is um learning that customer um gaining there you know trust and being able to style them. So hopefully they come back again and again. Well I love the outfit that you’re wearing and it looks very spring like on this rainy day. I think it’s very beautiful and flowery. So maybe we’re looking ahead to tomorrow when it’s nicer out. But are there any pieces in particular you think people will be excited about this spring? Any trends you’re seeing or you’re focusing on? Yeah, absolutely. Um, big chunky jewelry is sort of the thing right now. We have, um, you know, some fun wide leg jeans, blazers. You can just never go wrong with a nice blazer. Um, so yeah, white booties, um, sandals and lots of dresses. So yeah. Oh, I love a blazer. I always say, I feel like a million bucks when I throw one on. One other question for you, you’ve been open for one year. You’ve been open only during the pandemic. What has this yet? Last year been like for you guys? It’s been challenging at times. It’s also been a great learning experience. It’s been very humbling. Um, I’ve definitely, um, had to put a lot of faith into this and my faith in God. And I just, um, we just keep plugging along and we’re hoping that we’ll just continue to grow. Well, I’m looking to expand my wardrobe for this spring, so I will definitely have to check it out. Nikki, thank you so much. You can visit Ash and Opal boutique on Country Club Road in Winston Salem. It’s right across from Cavalry baptist church next to TJ’s deli. If you know that area, you can find more information at Ash and opal boutique dot com local vibe returns after this

Winston-Salem boutique offers selection of clothes, gifts for all ages

Updated: 10:27 AM EST Feb 24, 2022