LITTLE SWITZERLAND — Spruced Boutique, the local women’s clothing store, is moving to Little Switzerland.
The boutique, which was previously located in the Wiley Building in downtown Spruce Pine, is setting up shop at the resort grounds at the Little Switzerland Inn.
Julene Roe, who is the co-owner of the boutique with her husband David, said the decision was made following some major flooding issues and a closure at the previous building.
“We had just stocked the store for the Christmas season and then on Dec. 4, the building flooded and the floors were essentially ruined,” Roe said. “We closed and moved all of our inventory out for the time being, but when they said repairs wouldn’t be started until mid-January, we just decided it wasn’t the right decision to stay there. It was kind of a crippling blow at the end of a really hard year.”
When the owners of the gift shop in Little Switzerland announced they were retiring, Roe, who lives in Little Switzerland, said it just seemed like the logical place to go.
“Everything kind of happened unexpectedly,” she said. “So, when that space became available, it just seemed like the right choice. It’s a dream location for me. I can walk to work now...It’s not something I would have gone out looking for, but with everything that happened, it seemed like the thing to do.”
When it comes to the ongoing pandemic, Roe said they were lucky to have already had online shopping capabilities.
“We made sure we had the online shop when we opened in 2017,” Roe said. “We were lucky to have that to lean on during the pandemic and the closure on top of that. We’re still open online even though we’re not open at a physical location right now.”
At the new location in Little Switzerland, Roe said they are hoping to expand their inventory and have more than just clothes and accessories.
“When we were in Spruce Pine, I didn’t want to step on other businesses’ toes by having the same local merchandise, so we mainly just stuck to the clothing,” Roe said. “Now that we’re out here in Little Switzerland, I want to expand our inventory to local products and include local gifts and merchandise.”
Because the new location is still in Mitchell County, Roe said she’s happy to still be able to serve the same community.
“The great thing about this location is that we’re right on the county line and we’ll still be in Mitchell County so the sales tax will be going back to the county,” Roe said. “I’m happy we can still be serving the same community even though we’re a little farther away.”
Spruced Boutique, now located at 133 High Ridge Road, will open on April 15 when the Little Switzerland Inn opens for the season.