By Krystal Smalley
ksmalley@wbcowqel.com
When it comes to shopping for clothes, not every woman has the skills – or even the time – to pull together a head-to-toe ensemble for work and a night out on the town. That’s where Leslie Hill comes in.
Hill will be opening her clothing store, Divine Style Boutique, on Tuesday and cannot wait until that first customer walks through her doors. The paper that had once covered the big glass windows of the storefront at 105 East Mansfield St. in Bucyrus were taken down last week and anyone could take a peek at what Hill had to offer. Dressmaker mannequins covered in brightly-colored shirts, jackets, and scarves filled the windows while tables were piled with pants and shirts crowded for hanger space on the racks.
Hill has always been interested in clothing, but realized that clothing didn’t always make women feel good about themselves.
“You’re a teenager and anything you wear you feel good in,” Hill explained. “Then you become a mom and after that you become the mom’s body, you become the mom’s role model, you become involved in your kids’ life and then you forget that you can also be young and trendy yourself.”
Hill is hoping to spread that positive message to the women of Bucyrus – and even beyond – with her boutique.
“I want to have variety for all ages to give everybody an opportunity to come in here and buy some unique styles,” Hill said. “What I loved about boutiques is it’s smaller and not huge. You’re able to have more one-on-one with the owner or the person you’re consulting with to help you. I was able to feel like I could go out of my comfort zone in my style.”
That is what Hill plans on offering women: a friendly consultant that can dress you head-to-toe. She hopes that having a boutique easily accessible in Bucyrus will be a convenience that women – mothers or otherwise – will take advantage of.
“Sometimes we (women) don’t know if we’re going to go out to dinner with somebody special or not. This way we can jump in a car, five-ten minutes we’re at a boutique, we can be dressed in and out of here in 30 to 45 minutes,” Hill said. “When somebody comes in to the boutique I want them to make sure that they feel taken care of.”
Though Hill knows she and her fellow fashionistas can dress a woman up, the focus will be completely on the customer and the way she feels inside once she walks out the door.
“When anybody walks in here it doesn’t matter their age, it doesn’t matter their body styles,” Hill said. “I want them to leave here with a smile on their face and walk out the door with confidence, because I feel like every woman needs confidence. It starts on the outside and then you have it on the inside.”
The boutique will be offering clothing in sizes from one to 3X (XXXL), including jeggings, skirts, shirts, and accessories.
Divine Style Boutique will be hosting a Ladies Night from 6 – 9 p.m. on May 12. Hill, Lindsay Spaulding, and Claudia Spiegel will speak on different body shapes and how to dress.
Hill will also be offering gift cards for Mother’s Day.
Divine Style Boutique hours are 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Saturday. It can be found on Facebook or on Instagram at DivineStyleBoutique419 for outfits and clothing tips.