Apricot Lane Boutique opens at Lake Lorraine

Sept. 26, 2019

Boxes of clothing that have been sitting in Somer Anderson’s house are finally gone.

The owner of Apricot Lane Boutique opened her franchised store today at Lake Lorraine. The shop is in a new building at the west-side retail center that includes Moe’s Home Collection and A Perfect 10 Nail & Beauty Bar. The next business to open there will be the second location for Child’s Play Toys.

After Anderson decided that she was ready to go from working in boutiques to owning one, she said she was drawn to the values and mission of Apricot Lane. Ken Petersen, the co-founder of the California-based company, which has grown to almost 80 stores, considers God as the chairman of the board and helped found 3Strands, a nonprofit that works in Cambodia, Nepal and Haiti to end sex trafficking through employment, education and engagement.

“The cool thing about Apricot Lane is that every one is different,” Anderson said. “All of franchises say you have to carry this and this. And you have to have this particular image. With Apricot Lane, the owner gets to do all their own buying. I picked everything that’s in my store, so my Apricot Lane will be completely different than any other Apricot Lane that you go in because they want them to be unique to the area that you’re in.”

The boutique carries clothing from the LA Fashion District and some designer brand names such as Free People and Levi’s boutique line. “We can cover both of those markets for the people that prefer the name brands or the people that prefer the style without necessarily the name brand. … We try to keep all of the price points under $100. With some of the sweaters and the jackets and things, you can go over.”

Apricot Lane describes the target demographic as 18 to 40, but “I think our range is going to be anywhere from those later teen years to mom and grandma because depending on how you put things together, you can get all these different styles,” said Anderson, noting that she’s older than 40.

“People are getting so much trendier, and clothes are getting so much more comfortable that you can still be stylish and look good and be comfortable.”

Sizes will range from XS to XL. “A lot of our vendors don’t carry the extended sizes, and with Love Marlow so (nearby) and specializing in that, it’s something I felt we didn’t need to try as hard on; there’s no need to compete.”

Anderson has hired some staff but is still looking for an assistant manager and a couple of part-time stylists.

The grand opening will be Oct. 4-6, offering a free gift with a purchase of $50 or more and a chance to win a $200 shopping spree. On Oct. 5, the first 50 customers will get a swag bag, and there will be raffles and refreshments.

Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, with shopping until 8 p.m. Thursday. On Sunday, the boutique is open from 1 to 5 p.m.

Anderson has the rights to the Sioux Falls market for Apricot Lane, so additional stores are part of the plan.

“That’s the goal,” she said. “I want to get this one up and going and healthy, and then I want to open another store in Sioux Falls.”

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Apricot Lane Boutique opens at Lake Lorraine

The new Apricot Lane Boutique at Lake Lorraine is part of a franchise, but you’re not going to find an identical store anywhere.

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