Growing up in a family of business owners, Kaitlin Trickett hoped one day to have a shop of her own. On Friday, she made it real, reopening a former Buckhannon clothing store as Kaitlin & Co. Boutique.
Trickett purchased the business formerly known as Caroline and Co. and opened the doors as Kaitlin & Co. Boutique for the first time during a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday. The boutique is located at 33 East Main Street.
“For as long as I can remember, I’ve always liked shopping, and my goal was to have a business one day,” Trickett said. “My family owns businesses, and I grew up around that environment. This great opportunity to buy the business happened a year ago. We talked about it, and I’ve been praying about it, and by the grace of God, he blessed me to open this up when [former owner Jennifer Fluke] was ready to sell this year.”
Trickett is using many of the same vendors as Caroline and Co., but she has incorporated new offerings as well.
“She left me her list of vendors, and then I have also found new vendors that I go through,” Trickett said. “I’m going to use the same vendors while bringing in new pieces people can enjoy.”
Trickett also plans to unveil new collections on Wednesdays, but will cut back from the weekly cadence the business formerly used.
“It’s not going to be every single week,” Tricket said. “To start out, we’re going to do a big drop since nothing’s online. Then the drops might just be once a month, maybe twice a month on occasion. We’ll always have a sale rack, and then with the holidays coming up, I’ll have doorbuster prices.”
Trickett said she was happy to open a business where she gets to incorporate shopping into her everyday life. She also loves the location on Main Street.
“I get to shop all the time — that’s what I love to do — and so I’m excited to help other people find something to wear,” Trickett said. “The two windows make it perfect to display clothes so people can walk by and see what we offer. There’s a lot of traffic coming in.”
The shop’s official grand opening will take place on Saturday, September 27, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.