About Boutiques

Boutique is French for "shop." In America, a boutique is a shop that only sells highly specialized items within a niche. Sometimes these stores are more expensive than purchasing items from a department store; however, they sell a larger variety of one particular item that you are looking for.

Post war consumerism created a lot of spending during the 1960s. People had the money, or credit, to purchase items that were more readily available. They had the means to be pickier about the items they wanted creating a need for these specialized shops where people could find things from all over the world without having to have it shipped from a catalog or overseas. A boutique usually only sells one of a kind items from expensive fashion designers. They may also sell t-shirts that are only limitedly printed for a much more expensive price. There are boutiques for clothing, handbags, shoes, jewelry and hats.

Boutiques are often located in tourist areas. While having several boutiques grouped in areas all over the United States, France, Germany, England, and India, these shops are all tailored to specific items within the shop.

Many boutique owners prefer to own a smaller shop than a larger one because it gives them the opportunity to still sell trendy items but with more availability of specialized items that can be more difficult to find in department stores and other locations. All the items are high quality and made of good materials. Some boutiques even cater to items that are all handmade.