A FUNKY, CHIC BEACH BOUTIQUE!
Everything about Maddy Guenther’s new “Bo-Tiki” Boutique on Beach Boulevard in beautiful downtown Gulfport is pleasing to both the eye and the spirit.
If first impressions are the most important then the faux tiki shack makeover with the distinctive south seas signage and huge front deck pulls one in to a shop that cant possibly stand up to the exterior impression, only, it does. The interior is beautifully laid out and the sunny yellow color scheme puts you smack dab on a tropical beach. Our visit was during the “soft opening” which precedes the formal grand opening with strikingly attractive and colorful merchandise already filling the displays.
And then we met Maddy. Yes, the Maddy Guenther of real estate and restaurant fame and she exhibited a proud smile that was a mile wide. She was obviously as excited about this new venture as she was when she opened her former 50 agent real estate office and, with her husband Joe, took her family’s bar and restaurant to a new dimension with the opening of today’s super-successful O’Maddy’s.
I couldn’t help but ask, “With a 15 month old baby and all the sweat and tears you put into your real estate and restaurant career, what on earth are you doing opening a retail store here in Gulfport? She had obviously given that question some thought because she quickly answered, “When Olivia became a toddler I started looking for a job or business where I could bring my baby, feel comfortable, have some fun, make some money and, at the same time give back to my community and this is it.”
I asked her what market she was trying to reach knowing that as a successful business woman she would have an answer. She replied, “It’s been my experience that there’s not much in the way of casual fashion out there for post twenties women; mature women with a youthful spirit. We have not focused so much on age as we have on attitude. We’ve got something for women of all ages in the middle and upper middle-income price range.
With that we took a look at the offerings. As a male, I will make no attempt to describe the merchandise except to say that I was struck by the brilliant summer colors, imaginative design and obvious quality of the women’s clothing that ranged from beachwear to afternoon wear. The Nilla Shields casual wear especially caught my eye. There were several display cases with accessories made and designed by local artisans as well as other original work. A lovely niche display of Natural Life goods provided a great place for the kids to hang out while mom shops. Maddy said she was negotiating for a top quality line of women’s accessories that has a charitable component to its marketing plan.
When I asked her what she was going to do with the huge front deck, Maddy said she hoped to hold fashion shows and charity auctions out there to benefit Sallie’s Angels, an organization devoted to ending the neglect and abuse of children. She plans to use some of the kids in various area programs for children and young people as models for some of the shows. Her hope is to raise a lot of money in support of abused and neglected children. She said lots of fun things will be happening out there on the Art Walks, her Grand Opening in late September and other downtown events.
From the outset, Maddy looked for a possible tie-in with O’Maddy’s and by golly she found one in a line of merchandise and club idea that can certainly provide the fun she is looking for at Bo-Tiki. It is a line of beer cozies, t-shirts, wine glasses, bags and caps, etc. bearing the tongue-in-cheek logo, “L.U.S.H.,” (Liqured Up Sisterhood). The club idea is to provide a loosely organized club for post 20s women where they can get together at O’Maddy’s to talk on a fairly regular basis, do some fun things together and also support Sallie’s Angels and other children’s charities. Maddy has already signed up a couple of dozen interested women.
I told Maddy that judging from her buying skills, innate marketing sense and prodigious imagination, she probably should have gotten into retailing a long time ago. She replied, “Everything I’ve done in the past was very rewarding, in fact I still intend to do some real estate, but Bo-Tiki is perfect for me right now.”
When you’re out and about, look for the little “Open” sign next to the front door and stop in to see Maddy, Olivia and the beautiful, quality merchandise that’s waiting for you to take it home.
As a postscript to my story above, I wanted to add my thanks to Joe and Maddy Guenther for the faith they have exhibited in the economic viability of “Downtown Gulfport.” It’s easy for us to talk about supporting our downtown, but the Guenthers have put their money where our mouth is. They have invested tens of thousands of dollars of their money and countless hours, past present and future in helping to assure the future viability of our downtown center.
Our merchants and restaurateurs cannot prosper unless and until we create a critical mass of attractions all along Beach Boulevard and Shore Drive. We must make our city a “destination” that will bring customers to us again and again simply because of the ambience and wide selection of goods, services and activities that await them. When it comes to shops downtown, “The more the merrier,” should be our motto.
How can we encourage others to invest and commit to Gulfport’s future prosperity? What incentives can we provide to encourage residential property owners to convert their places to commercial buildings? Properly promoted, as our Chamber and Merchant’s Association knows how to do, every new shop or restaurant will bring more and more people downtown and more and more dollars to all our businesses.
Great review. I couldn’t agree more about the Guenther’s contribution to our city and their efforts in attracting visitors to Gulfport. If Omaddys is any indication, then Maddy’s new venture should be a great success. Good luck Maddy!