This past Saturday was a day of car shows, community fellowship, and grand openings all along Pampa’s historic downtown, and what better name than The Brick Streets Boutique for Pampa’s newest business that sits in the beating heart of our town?
Located at 113 W. Kingsmill, The Brick Streets Boutique carries fashion that is focused on comfort, affordability and a customer’s own personal style.
Owners and sisters-in-law Tristen West and Shelby James wanted to offer a different kind of clothing store that carried primarily nuetral tones that were simple, yet elegant and could be worn comfortably in any setting, formal or informal.
“We just have different tastes than what the other stores here sell, and we don’t like to drive to Amarillo all the time and we figured other people don’t like to drive to Amarillo all the time, so we kind of brought the basics back to Pampa,” Tristen said. “It’s hard to go somewhere and just find a white button-up shirt or a black t-shirt, or just something that’s not super vibrant. We don’t always want to wear something that’s bright.”
“We wanted it to be cute but functional and comfortable as well. We thought if we feel like we’re missing out, then other people around us are too, and instead of being upset about it, we can just be the change we wanted to see and open up a store.”
“And we also wanted to carry good clothes for moms because we’re both moms,” Shelby added.
Both Shelby and Tristen fully embrace the idea that style doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg, so through trial and error, they were able to find high-quality clothing that won’t burn a hole in your pocket.
“When you first start out, you’re ordering from wholesalers and trying to find the wholesalers who have the best quality clothing for what we’re looking for that is also budget-friendly,” Shelby said.
“If I’m not going to pay $50 for a shirt, other people won’t either,” Tristen added. “It’s taken a lot of work to find clothes that are affordable but are good quality. But we’ve got it down now.”
Shelby and Tristen originally started their business online, but right there on the bricks is where the two wanted to open up a physical store, patiently waiting for an opportunity to come knocking.
“We were online first and it kind of took off in the first month we had it up,” Shelby said. “We looked at all the buildings and we didn’t find one until Nick (Brandon’s Flowers) called us and said some people were moving out and asked if we wanted to come look at it. We looked at and we said, ‘yep, this is it!’ And here we are!”
However, the name had already been established before obtaining the building, and it was a decision fueled by Pampa’s unique downtown area that is iconic compared to other places.
“We struggled with the name-the name that I liked, she hated and didn’t really fit with what we were going for,” Tristen said. “We got some advice from Nick and he said, ‘just make it something for Pampa.’ And at 4:30 in the morning I was going to work and was like, ‘the brick streets-Pampa is one of those few places that has brick streets.’ She said, ‘The Brick Streets Boutique-that’s genius!’ And we said that’s it!”
Stop by The Brick Streets Boutique Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 4 PM to 7 PM, and Saturday and Sunday from 11 AM to 5 PM. Check them out on Facebook or hop on their website, www.thebrickstreetsboutique.com
