by Libby Boren McMillan

While department stores may lure us all with their vast inventories and sheer convenience, from time to time, it’s extremely satisfying to find a small boutique with unusual apparel and personal service. Nothing can match the experience of getting assistance from such a shop’s owner, who selected and bought every piece of merchandise on the shelves. Southwest Florida is lucky to have a lovely selection of smaller, locally owned apparel stores. Here, we look at a few of these tempting unique boutiques.

Fashionable Finds
“You should be your own canvas; your clothing is your art,” says Barbara Kinee, co-owner of Mirage Boutique in South Fort Myers. Her artful inventory makes this challenge easy. Mirage carries special-occasion wear, sportswear, and career wear, but not the lines seen in department stores. “We have modern classics, fun things,” says Kinee. “The look is fun and flirty, with a modern twist. Our things will appeal to avant-garde professional women, [ranging in age] from 20s to 60s.” Guys will also look hip after a visit to Mirage, sporting Ts and caps by Rivaldi or Twenty Symbols.

Mirage was located on Fort Myers Beach for four and a half years, then made the move to Cypress Square in May 2006. Kinee’s background in both art and business makes itself apparent, as does her affinity for coastal life. “I always spent my summers on the shore,” she says, referencing a former life in southern New Jersey.

A glittery night out can be made all the more fun with a little bling in the form of Mirage’s jewelry, bags, belts, and shoes. Sexy dresses by Komarov are made with unusually patterned fabrics; you’ll also find beautiful travel dresses by Donna, lightweight leather jackets by J’envie, and racy swimwear by Betsey Johnson.

“We have lots of girlfriend gifts too,” says Kinee. In additional to sparkly Koozie-style cups and all sorts of fun things under $30, we found a whole table of cool wedding presents, even goodies a groom would really enjoy.

Cool Clothes in the Cape
Anyone who doubts that Southwest Florida continues to improve on the retail front hasn’t driven out Pine Island Road lately. This formerly forlorn stretch of pavement now goes past some of the hottest new spots in Lee County. One of them is the über-trendy boutique Amanda’s Closet, located in the Pine Island Fountain Shops in Cape Coral.

Twentysomethings will think they’ve died and gone to heaven when they find themselves surrounded by fashions from Juicy Couture and Betsey Johnson, but stylish women of all ages will enjoy finding clothing by names like Trina Turk, 7 for all Mankind, Skinny Minnie, Three Dots, and Citizens of Humanity. Accessories, jewelry, and makeup round out the must-have mix.

“We only buy a couple of pieces of each item, so you won’t see someone else wearing it around town,” says Amanda Rogoszewski, who co-owns the two-year-old boutique with her mother, Becky. While Amanda’s Closet is relatively new to the area shopping scene, Rogoszewski herself is homegrown, having lived here for twenty-three years. She and her mother work together when it comes to buying for the store, which targets gals ages twenty-five to forty-five or so. The insight of a mother-daughter team keeps Amanda’s Closet fresh and exciting and helps to make the gateway to Pine Island a whole lot hipper.

Going Global
Head in the opposite direction in search of unique ladies apparel, and you’ll find a real original. Kirsten’s Boutique, anchoring the corner of West Terry Street and U.S. 41 four miles south of Coconut Point, is not new to Southwest Florida. But its new location includes the Casablanca Café with a menu featuring caviar by the ounce, wines by the glass, and panini, which is only one way this boutique sets itself apart from others.

“We wanted a bigger ‘destination’ space, to combine the boutique with a café,” says owner Kirsten James, who enjoyed twelve years in downtown Naples and fifteen years in the Waterside Shops before relocating in February of this year. “It’s a new concept for us.”

James’s boutique is as unique as she is. Originally from Copenhagen, Denmark, she married an Englishman. The two bring a European graciousness to their lovely shop but have also infused it with exotic worldliness. Sumptuous leather goods, Turkish bags, and cowboy hats seem perfectly apropos near the handsome leather sofas and Santa Fe coffee table books that entice husbands to sit and relax with a glass of wine or cappuccino. A small gallery section has walls lined with primitive masks, while glass cases display African jewelry and original pieces from Tibet arrayed on driftwood and rock.

The earthiness of the space extends to the clothing itself, much of which is designed by James. Sewn in the U.S. of exotic fabrics from Morocco, her pieces are flattering and sometimes flowing one-size-fits-all statements that slip easily over a monochromatic outfit, instantly transforming it into a dazzling ensemble. The boutique’s other inventory is comfortable, packable clothing in neutral colors—ivory, taupe, sandstone, black—that show off the woman and her accessories.

The owners’ son, Kenneth James, is a vital part of the business, which has, for all these years, played up “casual elegance.” Cashmeres, cottons, and linens entice customers young and old, and the boutique carries everything from sexy little stretchable tops to separates for fuller figures. Instead of a “sale room,” Kirsten’s has a “discovery room,” where everything is 40 percent off.

The adjoining Casablanca Café is a temptation all its own, with a nice menu and wine list, hammered copper tables, leather chairs, and outdoor bistro seating near a fire pit and fountains. You may never want to leave this inviting space.

Trendy and Tasteful
Savvy twenty- and thirtysomethings have learned to invest their hard-earned cash on the latest looks from Mallie Montgomery, as owner Heather Buckley never steers her clientele wrong. Located on Daniels Parkway in South Fort Myers, Mallie Montgomery gets its moniker from a previous generation of Buckley’s family. But naming her business just might have been the last time this impressive entrepreneur ever looked back.

Buckley’s boutique is filled with contemporary brands that act like magnets for fashionistas: Free People, Susana Monaco, Ella Moss, even the William Rast denim collection by Justin Timberlake and Trace Ayala. Shoes by Yellow Box, sexy undergarments, and candy-like jewelry add to the shop’s appeal. Many a woman heads to Mallie to buy gal-pal gifts.

Buckley put her fashion design studies to the test early in life, running an Oxford, Mississippi, boutique right after college. Meeting real-world challenges head-on gave her the early experience she needed to start her own boutique before she was even thirty.

The vibrant interior of Mallie Montgomery is an outward expression of its astute owner. Colorful walls and floors serve as a perfect backdrop for clothing that is bold but tasteful. Confident young women are going to feel right at home here, and those needing a boost will certainly find it in the host of stylish options laid out before them.

All Dolled Up
At one of Sanibel Island’s busiest intersections lies a boutique where trends and sophistication also converge. Lucky Dog, the first retail venture of islander Carol Damico, has met and surpassed the expectations of locals and tourists for over five years now.

“I’d always wanted my own shop,” says Damico, who purchased the Mediterranean-style two-story building with her husband and moved a family of four into its upstairs one-bedroom apartment during renovation. Those efforts created a cheery little shop catering to working girls as well as their more relaxed counterparts.

“Basically, our market is women [in their] 30s to 60s,” says Damico, who now rents out the upstairs abode but keeps a lovely garden out back. Lucky Dog carries a pleasing assortment of lines not seen elsewhere, including XCVI, AKA Womyn, Lilla P, Paradyz Couture, and Damico’s favorite, Only Hearts.

“Fabrics today are wonderful,” says Damico, and her inventory bears this out, with flirty, feminine dresses and lightweight linen and comfy cotton separates filling each room. Sexy flip-flops by Jamie Kreitman are sprinkled throughout the store, as well as Bernardo sandals and lots of lovely accessories.

Damico’s store manager, Shawn Leslie, is a well-known face in area retail and enjoys greeting and meeting customers. The other well-known face you’ll see at Lucky Dog is Barbie’s. Several dolls grace shelves throughout the shop, voguing as only they can do and giving patrons a giggle.

Style for a Steal
Who wouldn’t enjoy finding big-name designer clothing at wholesale prices, before the same pieces appear in department stores? That’s precisely the reward shoppers find for seeking out Caroline’s on Colonial Boulevard in Fort Myers. Versace, Valentino, La Perla, YSL, Dolce & Gabbana at 70 percent or more off retail: It sounds too good to be true, but owner Lori Maschmier figured out how to buy sales rep samples and pass them on to her savvy customers.

“I’m more forward-fashion,” says Maschmier. “We’re one to two seasons ahead of the retail stores. That’s kind of a draw for the ladies. We’re selling spring in November. We were selling fall 2008 in May.” Because Maschmier carries sales rep samples, she only has one of each item. It may be a size twelve, or it may be a four. But the store is so full of designer finds—cocktail dresses, suits, sportswear, ball gowns, jeans, dressy blouses, lingerie, sweaters, accessories—that if one item isn’t in your size, you’re sure to find something else you can’t live without.

Maschmier and her staff take great delight in acting as personal shoppers and really understand what they have in stock. If you don’t know whether your taste runs more to Luca Luca or Ungaro, the crew at Caroline’s can guide you. “Sometimes customers will bring in a skirt or something they love and say ‘I’d really like to build something around this.’ Selling them a whole outfit is not always necessary,” says the owner. “I retain a customer through my honesty.”

Caroline’s prices are undeniably surprising. “I enjoy a bargain, so I pass the bargain on,” says Maschmier. “I just bought two cases of $150 python sandals and sold them for $39. The economy is going to drive people to a place like mine. I’m carrying off-price; they can get nice things at a discount.”

Freelance writer Libby Boren McMillan is a frequent contributor to Times of the Islands and RSW Living.