There is a new boutique store located on Second Street called Blank Paige Boutique. The store opened on March 3 and Blank Paige Boutique owner, Paige Mortellite, had a career as a corporate buyer for a few different companies and those experiences inspired her to open her own store one day.
“I’ve been in retail as long as I’ve been able to work. I was a corporate buyer for a few different companies for a few years and then I worked for a small company in Ocean City so all of that has always been me preparing to open my own store and doing it in Hammonton and where I’m from is really important to me,” Mortellite said.
Inside Blank Paige Boutique, women’s apparel is the main focal point of the store as they carry denim clothing and accessories such as shoes and jewelry. You can also buy gift items to give to your loved ones such as candles, coffee table books and cookbooks, hats, sunglasses and bags.
She described owning the boutique as coming full circle as her family owns Blueberry Bill Farms. Seeing familiar and new faces coming in has been overwhelming but fun for her to see.
“I see the support on that end [for the farm] from his [her father’s] eyes and then having those same people come here has been really funny but also a lot of fun. People who know me from high school when I was younger are coming in here and then there’s people I don’t know.
That’s kind of the beauty of Hammonton is that you really don’t know your customer but it’s been pretty overwhelming the amount of support and excitement that everybody from all walks have shown me,” Mortellite said.
With the store being relatively new, Mortellite saw a great show of support from the Hammonton residents during the first weekend it opened.
“The weekend [when it first opened] was so amazing, the amount of support from people I know and new customers that I don’t know was actually insanely incredible, definitely more than I could’ve asked for,” Mortellite said.
Mortellite is looking forward to getting to know her customers more and build a relationship.
“I’m honestly just excited to get to know my customers and kind of be able to see them weekly, I’m going to have new arrivals every week so kind of just being able to spend time with the customer who’s really in here a ton and really values my clothing and the quality of stuff that I have,” Mortellite said.
Mortellite hopes that customers appreciate her store, which carries items for special occasions, including a large shoe section.
“I hope the customers can see the uniqueness that you can find here. I think it’s great that I have awesome denim and core stuff but maybe special occasion dresses or shoes are something to show for them. My shoe section is going to be pretty massive so I do think that’s something that might be able to set the store apart,” Mortellite said.
If someone were to open up their own store like a boutique, Mortellite said that there’s a personal and professional aspect to it as she emphasized trusting your own style as well as listening to your customers’ wants to help your business become successful.
“In the beginning, it’s about trusting your own style and making sure that there’s an aspect of you that comes through within the store and once you start to see sales, really listen to what your customer wants. I think it’s really important to have a side that really shows your character as a person within the clothes but then also what your customer likes is going after that stuff because that’s honestly what’s going to make you money at the end of the day,” Mortellite said.
Blank Paige Boutique is located on 8 South Second Street and the hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. You can also follow on Facebook at Blank Paige Boutique and on Instagram @blankpaigeboutique.hammonton.