By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
A new women's boutique, Sunflower and Silos, 115 W. Eighth, is set to have its grand opening next weekend in downtown Hays.
Owner Kate Schippers of Hays said the store will carry women's apparel from sizes small to 3X as well as purses, accessories, shoes, hats, lotions and candles.
Schippers is opening with a limited selection of girls clothes sizes 0-3 months to 5T. If those sell well, she will be expanding those offerings to include boys clothes in the same sizes.
Schippers husband, Pierce, is from Hays, and the couple relocated back to Hays with their son and daughter four years ago.
Opening a boutique has always been her dream, Schippers said.
"Downtown Hays is so beautiful," she said. "So many people come here. This a perfect place to do it. That was our whole strategy. We wanted the big city feel in the small town."
The store will be family-run.
Schipper's brother-in-law renovated the storefront on Eighth Street, which had been an Escape Room. This includes the custom-made table and wine-cork bar in the Silo. The business is renting the building.
"This whole process has been family driven every step of the way, including design meetings every Tuesday evening," Schippers said.
"This business has a lot of blood, sweat and tears involved and has done nothing but bring us back to living in the same state again. My sister is going to help me run it, and my mom will be down there helping me run it when I can't be there."
The style of the clothing at the store will range from contemporary to southwest. Schippers is working on bringing in several brand names to the store, including Wrangler, Kimes Ranch and Ariat.
"You could pick something if you were going to go to the rodeo or concert or to a Christmas party or to work," Schipper said. "There will be casual, some dressy and everything in between."
Purse brands will include Myra and American Darling. The soaps and lotions will be Barr-Co. The candles are 1803 brand.
Prices will be mid-range, Schippers said, with items in the $20 to $50 range. The American Darling purses are leather and will run about $175 to $250.
The back of the store, "The Silo," will be a hat and accessories bar.
The store will have charms and feathers customers will be able to add to their hats. They will also have branding irons that can be use to burn brands into the hats. The store will also have kids' sizes in the hats.
Schippers said she is also considering having denim-jacket-decorating or make-your-own-bolo events.
Kate and her husband are working on a liquor license, so bridal showers, girls weekends, birthdays or other events in the Silo can have alcohol.
The Silo, which can accommodate about 15 people, is also available for rent for other events. Kate said she has a child's birthday party booked for the space soon after store's opening.
Schippers is also working on a back patio that will be an extension of the the Silo.
An art student at Fort Hays State University painted a mural on one wall of the shop, which Schippers said will be a fun backdrop for photos during events.
"It's going to be more than a boutique, it's going to be an experience," she said.
The store will be open 10 a.m to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. You can follow the business on Facebook.