Willow may have been made from dreams only some of us can imagine we would ever obtain: Owning a chic little boutique with a friend as a business partner and your commute is a leisurely stroll for a few blocks. This, though, is the life of Jennifer DuPuy and Anna Mitsis, friends and co-owners of Fredericksburg’s latest boutique shop, Willow.
What started as simple comments and a love of fashion between friends for a few years turned into reality for the two just this past August when Willow opened.
“We are both interested in the growth of our downtown and we saw a need for downtown to have more,” says DuPuy. “We had a few places in mind and we were just going through our lives. When this location became available we jumped on it.”
Located in the former store of children’s boutique Sweet Caroline’s, Willow carries a range of of-the-moment casual chic brands like Frame, Margaret O’Leiry, Vince, Mother, Citizens of Humanity and Eileen Fischer, along with Velvet, Graham and Spencer and Three Dot. The aesthetic follows a California, chic modern minimalist vibe, something that isn’t seen in the typical stores in downtown Fredericksburg.
“Our goal was to provide functional, beautiful, elegant clothing for a variety of price points and women,” explains DuPuy. “We saw a need that we could complement other boutiques in town. What’s here is great, but we saw that there was more that could be added to the Fredericksburg experience.”
Mitsis adds that the two do most of their buying in New York and stick to a clean, minimalist-with-a-bit-of-color palette for the store’s items. “Our biggest thing is functional,” she says.
And it’s not just clothing, bags, shoes, jewelry, accessories and beauty products that will pull you into this store. Willow also carries and provides ordering for some home goods like Dash and Albert pillows, rugs and textiles, and unique whale bowls made from a Fredericksburg potter.
And how did they land on the name Willow? The two took a free small business class at nearby Mary Washington College and were sitting outside discussing potential names. They were sitting in front of a willow tree at the time.
“A willow tree evokes a sense of what we wanted our space to be,” says Mitsis, “organic, natural and beautiful and elegant. It matched.” // 305 William St, Fredericksburg; willowfxbg.com
(May 2018)
