Downtown boutique seeks new owner

June 5, 2019

Kayleen Leonard knows it might not seem like the most logical time to sell a business that’s doing as well as it ever has. But it is the right time for her.

The owner of Palmer Lea Boutique is looking for a buyer as she prepares for a new career as a dental hygienist.

“I know it probably seems a little crazy, but it’s something I was going to do at 18, and I think at this point as much as I love the store, I’m ready for someone else to take it over and do their thing with it.”

She began the business online in 2012, when she was 22, and opened Coquette Couture as a storefront at The Bridges at 57th about a year later. She moved it downtown and rebranded as Palmer Lea in 2016.

“Our move and our rebrand was probably the best thing we could have ever done,” Leonard said. “I go back and forth constantly. I don’t really want to sell it. It’s doing so well. But I’m not giving it the attention it needs, and it has so much potential. I think if someone spent more time on it, it could blow up and be multiple stores.”

She has several more years on her lease at 206 S. Phillips Ave. and said she will work closely with a new owner to transition. She likely won’t start dental school for about another year and plans to keep the business open until it’s sold.

A new owner “can just walk in and not have to do the startup stuff,” she said. “I don’t think people realize you can make a small mistake and it can cost you thousands. That’s what puts people out of business, and with Palmer we’ve overcome so many of those common mistakes.”

While she looks for a buyer, her mother also is helping her with the business and will continue to help in the transition, she said.

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Downtown boutique seeks new owner

Kayleen Leonard knows it might not seem like the most logical time to sell a business that’s doing as well as it ever has. But it is the right time for her.

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