DECEMBER 10, 2009 ISSUE
Business Spotlight
Funky and Fun—Lucky Penny Celebrates Two Years
Jennele Vaquera, Lucky Penny owner, offers a fun atmosphere to complement a line of clothing for young adults that is both funky and fashionable. Photo by Corinne SaundersCombine the laidback, fun “beach mentality” with hip, bigger-city fashions, and the result is…a store in Boone.
At Lucky Penny, an “affordable, funky boutique, you can get anything from a T-shirt to a cocktail dress,” said owner Jennele Vaquera.
In November, the store celebrated two years of bringing funky, fashionable clothing to Boone, and just last week, relocated from Appalachian Street to a bigger space at 693 West King Street.
Vaquera opened the store straight out of college, she said, after graduating ASU in 2007 with an apparel and textile major and a minor in marketing.
“I saw a market that could be tapped into here, with the college growing,” Vaquera said, adding that although the store offers something for everyone, the majority of its selections are geared toward young adults, including high school and college students, as well as young professionals.
The store’s name was chosen to reflect the luck Vaquera felt she had when the business opportunity presented itself, enabling her to keep living in Boone, and the affordability of the store.
Store apparel ranges from party dresses to inexpensive denim and from funky jewelry to “awesome sunglasses,” Vaquera said. “People love our sunglasses.”
Female customers can find heels for $39 and flats for $30, Vaquera said, adding that, “right now, all the shoes in the back are $10.”
The current location of the boutique came about because Vaquera knew Charlotte Haywood, owner of the new hair salon Shear Shakti, and Haywood found the space where the store could be downstairs and the hair salon upstairs.
Vaquera found the idea of complementary businesses “genius,” she said, adding that the hair salon is also “very hip.”
The space has been renovated, and Vaquera restored the brick wall that was on one side to give it an “old building feel,” she said, adding that she is thrilled to have more space and to be on King Street.
“We’re very happy to be part of this block,” she said. “Everyone is very nice and we have parking now.”
Vaquera was born in Detroit, Mich., and moved to the Outer Banks of North Carolina in the fourth grade, she said.
She got her start in retail at age 15, working for Maggie Cox at the Barr-ee Station, and began managing Cox’s stores at age 17.
During college, Vaquera would work for Cox during the summers, and she traces her enthusiasm for the business to Cox, she said.
“We try to be super friendly and fun,” Vaquera said, to make the boutique “somewhere you want to go into and hang out for a while.”
Vaquera attributes the fact that Lucky Penny has so many repeat customers to the fun ambience, she said, after taking a moment to chat with a customer who was trying on jeans about the new Twilight movie.
That laidback, fun atmosphere is “a little beach mentality,” she added.
Lucky Penny receives new arrivals every week, and clothing items are brought in limited numbers, in keeping with the store slogan of, “Be unique. Shop Lucky Penny.”
Some holiday items have already arrived at the store, and Vaquera expects even more dresses suitable for Christmas and New Year’s to arrive soon, she said, adding that the line is “price conscious.”
Lucky Penny participates in the Downtown Boone Art Crawl, keeps Facebook and Twitter pages and has a blog, Vaquera said.
A recent Facebook contest awarded a gift certificate to the person who tagged a picture of themself wearing the most Lucky Penny apparel, she said.
Lucky Penny is located at 693 West King Street in Boone, next to The Jean Pool and across from the post office. For more information, click to the Lucky Penny blog at www.luckypennyboone.com or call 828-264-0302.
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