Market Street Boutique, De Pere

Market Street Boutique unveils a successful makeover

When fashion is your business, your business should look fashionable and functional.

That driving principle helped lead Market Street Boutique owner Maggie Simmons to enter the Main Street Makeover contest, aiming to give her growing business a new feel and a way to serve her loyal customer base better.

Simmons hoped that Market Street Boutique—which specializes in on-trend clothing, unique gifts, and stylish accessories for women of all ages and sizes—could better reflect its mission and create a redesign with help from WEDC.

A plan comes together

Market Street Boutique’s proposal was selected as one of three from Wisconsin businesses to receive a $5,000 grant and help from WEDC and Retailworks Inc., a Milwaukee-based retail branding and design company.

The contest—part of the Wisconsin Main Street Program, the state’s signature downtown revitalization initiative—provides selected businesses with funding to help promote change and success.

After months of careful planning and with help from partners, customers, and others in the community, the plans took shape. Ryan Jennings, the property owner and owner of the XO Fitness gym, helped with coordinating the larger physical space improvements.

Meanwhile, the local Main Street organization, Definitely De Pere, connected the Market Street Boutique project to other local partners and provided funding for the shop’s new exterior mural.

Function combines with fashion

This collaboration resulted in a new look and feel at the boutique—one that benefits the entire downtown area and positions the business for continued growth. Changes include new dressing rooms, an expanded and permanent jewelry station, added merchandise display options and upgraded lighting. Also added were coordinated paint, signage, lighting, and enhanced checkout counters. The shop—redesigned with the help of many partners—now provides an updated and vibrant shopping experience.

“We want to extend a huge thank you,” Simmons said. “We are so appreciative to all our partners, volunteers, customers, the state and the entire community who have supported us on our journey over the past several years.”

The community has also taken notice of the improvements, which contributed to a livelier, more attractive downtown area.

“We are excited to see the striking storefront and enhanced interior space,” said Definitely De Pere Executive Director Tina Quigley. “As an organization committed to enhancing the vitality of downtown De Pere, we are thrilled to see this prominent corner location refreshed.”