Photo Courtesy Michelle Layman - Willapa Printing Boutique offers a fine line of apparel and other products at its new location at 337 7th Street in Raymond.
Willapa Printing Boutique has moved to a new location at 337 7th Street in Raymond. Owner Michelle Layman is thrilled about the new location, which offers much more space for her classy line of apparel and other products at affordable prices.
"We are so thrilled to have a larger space - a space where we aren't tripping over things and where we can show off the beautiful boutique styles we have and the large selection of customizable apparel we stock," Layman told the Herald.
The transition of moving took some time.
"We spent the last four months remodeling the lodge to make it production ready," Layman said. "We now have a large area to create apparel and print jobs and a large area to lay out our boutique clothing line."
Layman added that there is more work in progress. "We still have work to do in the downstairs event venue space, like flooring and kitchen appliance upgrades."
Willapa Printing Boutique has needed a larger location since its inception approximately a decade ago when it was located on Franklin Street.
"We've needed a new space since starting the boutique," Layman said. "When we started doing live sales our business grew and it outgrew the 1,100 square feet retail space. We now have over 3,000 square feet."
Willapa Printing Boutique has an upstairs and a downstairs.
"The retail boutique is upstairs and the rental venue with a commercial kitchen is downstairs," Layman explained.
The new location, known as The Lodge on Seventh was built in 1956.
"The Lodge on Seventh is the event venue name," Layman said. "The building was built in 1956; it's old and quirky," Layman said. "We've had fun renovating it to be a great mix of updated style and quirky mid-century."
The primary reason for the move was for expansion of inventory.
"We bought the Lodge to expand our boutique line and to offer the community a great space for events and parties," Layman said. "We're excited to offer the community the venue space. It's been so great to hear the community's excitement over bringing the building back to life."
"We now have a small stock room and additional space to expand our boutique line," Layman said. "We were able to add an Athleisure line with the move and it's been quite popular. Our denim collection is larger now, too. The ladies love our jeans."
Willapa Printing Boutique continues to thrive and evolve yearly.
"Our business continues to grow year after year," Layman said. "Christmas was typical growth. We added more gift items and they were a hit."
Willapa printing Boutique is open Monday through Friday from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Saturday between the hours of 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and also offers online shopping.
"I currently have two boutique employees, one full-time and one part-time," Layman said. "I hope to increase the hours of my part-time employee as we get busier."