By Gabby Benedict
Emily Enderle and Kathy Brossart have been close friends for over a decade and met as a hair stylist and a teacher, respectively. However, the two individually had a dream of opening their own boutique, so after having a serious conversation about owning one in 2023, they decided to co-own The Local Boutique and Social House together and haven’t turned back since.
The duo was a little nervous at first since they weren’t coming from a business background, but their passion and confidence overrode that obstacle. Both Enderle and Brossart attended Badin High School in Hamilton, so having a boutique in a small town they grew up near just felt right. Their current location, 111 Main Street, was their top option because it was technically two storefronts, which was exactly what they were looking for: one room for their boutique, another for their social house. The storefront is also located in a consistently growing and walkable area of town where folks can stumble inside after visiting other local restaurants and businesses.
Their vision was to create an event area to pair with their boutique because their goal was to bring the community together while also selling them cute and trendy clothes and accessories. Their social house area has hosted multiple types of social gatherings including but not limited to book club meetings, sip-n-shops, flower arrangement workshops, and various other DIY workshops.
The Local is a place meant for community members to shop for their favorite signature pieces while also providing a social opportunity for not only newer residents of Hamilton to mingle with locals, but also for longtime residents to socialize and strengthen relationships within the community.
The Local’s ability to host a variety of events allows attendees to spread the word about the boutique through word of mouth. The boutique also has social media pages where they post silly Instagram reels promoting themselves and general update posts as a way to create buzz for future events.
Their main inventory includes upscale retail merchandise, wardrobe pieces, and accessories for women of all ages, as well as some men’s golf shirts for variety. They sell clothing for many occasions like country concerts, professional work attire, and outfits you could wear at a nice family gathering. In a nutshell, The Local’s style can best be described as “country concert to country club” chic.
“Everything Emily and I pick out are things that we love and would wear ourselves,” said Brossart.
They attended their first vendor show over three years ago and planned to start the boutique off small for its grand opening and to continue to grow their inventory to fit the vibe they were going for, ranging from small to extra large sizes of casual pieces, dresses, and even a fully stocked denim bar.
“We pride ourselves in our denim. Women will come in and we take our time with them to help them to get the right fit for them. I feel like our denim bar is one of our big niches because it feels like not a lot of places have a good selection of denim,” said Enderle.
An integral factor in opening a local boutique is creating good relationships with vendors by travelling to markets across the U.S. from Nashville to Las Vegas, with the two even invited to Puerto Rico to buy from an exclusive market.
The Local has gained attention from various local events all throughout the year, such as with upcoming fall crawls and a recent bridal stroll, which brought over 100 brand new faces into the boutique. Community engagement makes a huge impact on small businesses’ success, with a recent study by the National Endowment for the Arts finding that these types of public events can increase local business revenue by up to 30%.
On Thursday, Oct. 22, the boutique kicked off its third anniversary with a celebratory VIP night featuring special tiered sales throughout the shop.
Since its grand opening, The Local Boutique and Social House has been voted the Best Place to Buy Women’s Clothes and Best Boutique in Butler County every year.
