"Our heart's in Michigan," says Kellie Gruber. That's why she and her fiance James Schulte, who share a successful retail business in Florida, are opening a second location on the Kalamazoo Mall.
Gibson Girl is expected to open soon at 132 S. Kalamazoo Mall, the former location of Oggi's. The two were raised in Michigan, met when they both attended Western Michigan University and subsequently relocated to Florida where they opened the first
Gibson Girl in Gulf Breeze Parkway.
The store will be quite different from the couple's shop in Florida, however. It's located in a beach community, and largely offers casual wear appropriate for that setting. Instead, there will be a mix of merchandise more fitting for this climate.
Shoppers will find trendy new things in the latest colors, teal, mustard and burgundy, plus and leather trimmed items and skinny styles.
"The feel of the store -- this won't look like your average small town boutique," Gruber says. "It will have a big city feel."
To get that feel, Gruber and Schulte gutted the interior, taking it down to the original brick and putting in hardwood flooring, returning the 1,700-square-foot shop to the "bare bones of the late 19th Century origins," Schulte says. Work began in July and is wrapping up in prepartion for a soft opening this week.
Gibson Girl will feature women's clothing, accessories and gift items. Merchandise from 40 different designers, including Sweet Tee, Level 99 and Hudson Jeans will be sold. "We have a crazy selection of jewelry," Gruber says. Head chains, leg chains and more are part of the bohemian part of a broader jewelry selections.
Special services, such as denim alternations and gift wrapping also will be offered. Three employees will work with the couple and two more could be added seasonally in the store named for the iconic drawings of beautiful and independent women created by Charles Dana Gibson at the turn of the 20th century. Gruber says they were the one of the few images women of the day had to look up to.
The two also said they are steering away from merchandise already being offered downtown so that shoppers have a wider variety of options. "We're not trying to compete with other stores. We don't want to offer exactly what shoppers will find in other stores," Gruber says.
Besides their love for the area where Gruber grew up, the momentum in downtown Kalamazoo excites them.
"We really like what's going on in downtown Kalamazoo," Schulte says, "and we want to be part of what's happening here by creating a shop that's distinctive."
Writer: Kathy Jennings, Second Wave Media
Sources: Kellie Gruber, James Schulte, Gibson Girl
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