Success Starts Early for b&lu

Christine Sholl has taken an interesting path over the past several years.

When she opened b&lu on July 7 in downtown Hopkins, she had already earned a bachelor’s in international studies and Spanish and then topped that off with a master’s in marketing. Along the way she spent several years in the world of Indian gaming and launched an online store catering to teenage girls. Less than two months after opening her boutique, she’s very excited about how things are going.

“I was looking for a place to open my store and knew Sherry Evans, who owns , also in downtown Hopkins,” Sholl said. “She suggested Hopkins and it was a good suggestion.”

B&lu, at 1007 Mainstreet, caters to larger women (size 12 and above) and, like the still-thriving online store, has found a solid niche.

“The boutique is primarily for larger women in their twenties to forties, but in the brief time we have been open, we have had a good deal of traffic of teenagers and older women,” Sholl said.

B&lu—at least for now—is open the first Thursday through Sunday of each month. This creates a sense of urgency to get in and see the inventory of clothes, almost all of which are private label created for Sholl.

“Given the demand, I am now thinking of expanding and being open a few days each week, perhaps beginning as early as October,” she said.

Regardless of the eventual decision, b&lu is flexible. For instance, it was open extra days during the recent , and Sholl plans to cater to private parties.

“We are also teaming up with some other stores which cater to women and on the 18th of this month will have a sort of Crazy Days event involving cross promotion and in September, are planning a Ladies Night Out with giveaways, specials and free beverages,” she said.

Sholl is a native of Crosby, Minn. and following her college days, worked several years for Grand Casinos.

 “It was a hectic job but I really learned a lot, especially about marketing,” she said.

She was at the forefront of online retailing when she opened in 1999.

“We catered to larger teenage girls and did so with some very trendy, very stylish items and it worked,” Sholl said.

The Maple Grove resident with a 13-year-old daughter is very pleased about the way things have turned out.

“We still have our online business and really are glad to be in Hopkins,” she said. “It’s a great, central location and is easily accessible by our growing customer base."