When Carrie Lee opened her boutique in the spring of 2018, it was the actualization of a 30-year dream.
Intrigue, a small boutique with women’s clothing and home decor, now sits off West 3rd and South Jackson Street. Lee said she had always wanted to own a small boutique of her own, having a history working in boutiques and gift shops.
When the window opened, Lee took advantage. After the former tenants of the building moved out, Lee and her sister-in-law, Debbie Lee, made the leap to open the shop.
“I was going through breast cancer at the time and going through chemo, so I had some major health issues,” Lee said. “It just inspired me to do what I had always dreamt of doing, which is opening a store like this.”
Lee said she has spent a number of years working in similar jobs, including a boutique in Seattle and the gift shop in the Pullman Hospital. Once she began the process of starting Intrigue, Lee said her time was more limited and she put her full focus on her boutique. But, she said her past experience helped her get the shop off the ground.
Small shops and restaurants litter the downtown stretch of Moscow, but Lee said there is a gap none of the stores have filled.
“There are other clothing stores around, but there really aren’t clothing stores around for anyone over 30,” she said. “There is not much around.”
When Intrigue first opened April 20, Lee said she planned on filling it with various home decor items, from magnets to wall art, with just a small selection of clothing items. Lee quickly noticed, however, the clothing selection was most popular amongst her customer base.
Several months after Intrigue opened, Lee said the excitement her shop generates in the community makes the job worth it.
“Hearing people excited about discovering this, excited about having a little boutique in town,” Lee said. “Hearing them laugh at my magnets. It’s fun to see people enjoy it and say, ‘I am so glad you are here.’ Just to get that positive response — it’s been really fun.”