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A former Baton Rouge teacher launched an online shop in November 2023 and 10 months later she is celebrating the grand opening of her first brick-and-mortar store.
Mary Hilse’s Gimme Gimme Boutique storefront, located near the
Highland Road and Staring Lane intersection, had its grand opening last week. Hilse says owning a boutique was always a dream for her and she did not expect it to come together this quickly.
“When I was working as a teacher, I decided to start an online store just to provide some cute things and services for the people in and around town,” Hilse says. “We started fulfilling orders at night and on the weekends and shipping out orders to other states, and then we kind of just grew it from there. My mom, my sister and I have always had a love of fashion.”
The boutique’s location on Staring Lane fits a need, according to Hilse.
“A lot of people that have come for our grand opening weekend have said that they’re happy we’re on this side,” she says. I’m feeling a lot of love and support from the community.”
Hilse does not not employ anyone, but says her family helps her operate the store. Meanwhile, the company’s online store is under maintenance in preparation for a relaunch later this week.
“We’re not a big store brand name, but we want to let people know there’s a new boutique in town,” Hilse says. “I was born and raised here. I’ve been here pretty much my whole life. I like giving back to the community in this way.”
Visit the store on social media for updates.
