The Mayor’s 2014 Holiday Season Shop Local Tour made its last stop on upper Chapel Street, at a boutique that has been a New Haven haunt for eclectic jewelry and women’s clothes for more than 30 years.
Mayor Toni Harp made the visit the other day to Idiom Boutique, as part of her campaign to convince people to buy their holiday-season gifts in New Haven neighborhoods rather than at suburban malls or big-box stores.
Idiom has been a go-to store for the professional woman looking for a little something different to add to her wardrobe. That reputation is part of what made it such an attractive business to own, said Kim Pedrick (pictured with Harp).
Pedrick has been the owner of the boutique for more than nine years. After working in management for major retailers like Neiman Marcus and Lord & Taylor, she took a chance on buying the boutique in the heart of the historic Chapel West District. And it’s a decision she’s enjoyed, particularly this year when weather has been mild.
“When the weather is good, business is good,” she said. And the weather was very good on the day that the mayor visited drawing in many customers looking for holiday gifts.
Mayor Harp confessed that she’d not done much in the way of shopping for her holiday gifts, so she hunted for a few things for her daughters. (We won’t spoil the surprise by showing you what she bought.)
Steve Fontana, the city’s deputy director for economic development, said that the city will circle back with merchants to see how effective the trips have been for business and if they’d like to see them continue.
Read more about the shop local initiative here, here, here and here.
This is awesome, is she goiing to head up to Cutler's, the Yale Co-op, news haven or maybe even the Chapel Square mall? Oh right, new haven only has Yale affordable botiques, dollar stores and package stores. And of course Ikea.
elmcityusedtobetheplacetoshop