Photograph by Kevin A. Roberts
Twenty years ago, an unlikely pair planted the seeds for Apricot Lane. Ken Petersen and Tom Brady, former firefighters and furniture retailers, opened a store in Vacaville, Calif., called Country Clutter (think Cracker Barrel’s gift shop meets handbags and home décor). In 2007, with the help of business partner Scott Jacobs, the men expanded their franchise company, Country Visions, by launching an even less likely venture: a women’s fashion and gift boutique, Apricot Lane. Besides carrying gifts and wall décor, it stocked denim, duds, and accessories for ladies. Somehow, the formula worked: The following year, Entrepreneur magazine dubbed it one of the nation’s “Top 50 New Franchises.”
Enter Kristen Jae Booher. In March, at only age 23, Booher—who goes by her middle name—opened a location inside the Saint Louis Galleria. “I’ve always had a love of fashion,” explains Booher, who moved to St. Louis five years ago to attend the Stevens Institute of Business & Arts. Booher first heard about Apricot Lane in summer 2009, while visiting her parents’ home near Springfield, Ill.
“I heard a radio ad about the opening of the ‘new Apricot Lane Boutique,’” Booher recalls. From there, she visited Apricot Lane’s website and contacted Country Visions. Booher believed the franchise was ideal for breaking into retail. “I can run my own boutique, do all my own buying, merchandising, et cetera,” she says. “Yet there’s a corporate structure for help whenever I need it. It’s really the best of both worlds when you are starting out.”
So what sets the store apart? “The diversity of styles,” Booher explains. The selection caters to women of all ages—providing a place where mothers can shop alongside daughters. Its offerings are also appropriate for a wide range of occasions, with denim, dresses, T-shirts, accessories, and more. “The store prides itself on carrying a limited number of each item to ensure customers have a sense of individuality,” she says. Brands range from Chaser (specializing in punk rock–style T’s) to Velvet Heart (an L.A.-based brand with contemporary sportswear and dresses).
And what’s Booher’s personal style? “Classic and relaxed,” she says. That style is reflected in the selection, giving Apricot Lane—a gifts-and-garb store that began with two guys—its own twist here in St. Louis.
