Though the retail environment may not seem to be in the best shape right now, in the past few months four new businesses have opened their doors on Meeker Street in downtown Kent.<\/p>\n
Cut-The-Corner Frame Shop & Fine Art Gallery, Shabra Gallery, Treasures and Cheryl\u2019s Unique Boutique are all trying to make a go of it.<\/p>\n
Cheryl Wright opened Cheryl\u2019s Unique Boutique on Dec. 27 because, she said, the time was right.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think this is a great time to open a store like mine,\u201d she said. \u201cIf I keep my prices low, people are going to want to shop in my shop.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Unique Boutique includes a little of everything, from men\u2019s and women\u2019s clothing to tools to lattes to consignment art and jewelry, as well as an indoor greenhouse where Wright is growing fresh vegetables and herbs.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought \u2018How fun would it be to bring it indoors?\u2019\u201d said Wright, who gardens at home. \u201cI have sunshine in my shop everyday.\u201d<\/p>\n
The philosophy is similar at Treasures, where co-owners Sandy Kissel and Linda Rushing decided that after spending time as vendors for other stores, it was time to open their own place.<\/p>\n
\u201cA little new, a little used, furniture, antiques,\u201d Kissel said, \u201cA little bit of everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kissel said Rushing lives in Kent and the pair opted to open in the downtown section of the city to be around similar stores.<\/p>\n
The store stocks collectibles, antiques and housewares, but since opening Jan. 30, Kissel said furniture is the top-seller.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust since we\u2019ve opened we\u2019ve sold tons of furniture,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n
The store also features Velvet Pig candles, made in Auburn, featuring fun names and scents, like a banana-scented candle called \u201cMonkey Butt.\u201d<\/p>\n
Across the street, Dick Stringfellow moved his Cut-The-Corner Frame Shop to Kent in October to lower his overhead, as well as work closer to his wife, Judy, who owns English Cottage Collection next door.<\/p>\n
With nearly 30 years in the framing business, Stringfellow said he can put a frame on just about anything, including a hermit crab shell he recently did.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou name it, we can frame it,\u201d he said. \u201cPeople can bring in anything they\u2019ve got.\u201d<\/p>\n
The store also offers framed art from Asian artists in various mediums and styles.<\/p>\n
Further down the street, the Shabra Gallery, run by Shannon Rasor and Brad Caplis, also offers custom framing and fine art, but with a different vibe. The shop has been open about two months and Caplis said the husband-and-wife pair live in Federal Way and had been commuting to Bellevue to work in another shop. After deciding to open their own store, the pair settled on Kent because of its location and because of the \u201ccharm\u201d of the downtown core.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe love this little area,\u201d he said. \u201cThis feels like a small town down here.\u201d<\/p>\n
While also offering custom framing, the gallery is showing mostly work by Caplis, whose paintings also will be featured in the gallery at the governor\u2019s mansion in Olympia later this year.<\/p>\n
Kent Downtown Partnership Executive Director Jacquie Alexander said the new stores show a faith in Kent\u2019s economy.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt says they certainly believe in the future of downtown Kent,\u201d she said of the new businesses. \u201cWe\u2019re really excited about them and the new energy they are bringing to the downtown.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alexander said despite the downturn, the timing is right for people interested in opening new shops because there are open store fronts and building owners are more eager to get tenants.<\/p>\n
For the owners of the new shops, the time was certainly right and all said they are looking forward to making downtown Kent their home for the foreseeable future.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re going to be here a long time,\u201d said Kissel.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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