Best Boutique: Luanna's Boutique

BY KENDALL KIRKHAM

Twenty-one years ago, Luanna Stinson turned her talents and interests into a shop of creative concoctions.

“It’s a hobby gone awry,” Stinson said.

In addition to carrying women’s apparel, Stinson makes the majority of the jewelry sold in the store herself. She creates new pieces by combining old jewelry and textiles — many people will bring her antique trinkets, others she finds on eBay and places like estate sales. Stinson says when you’re in a small town, people know you’re looking. Once a girl brought her a piece of her grandmother’s jewelry, and Stinson made a bracelet out of it for her. 

“I take old stuff and make it new again,” she said.

Even though Luanna’s is a boutique, don’t let the ‘b’ word fool you.

“You hear the word boutique and people freak and think it’s very expensive,” Stinson said.

That’s why Stinson says she loves to keep the prices down. She also tries to steer clear of being compared to anything you would see in a mall. Stinson thinks that sometimes people can get bored at malls because they see the same thing. At Luanna’s, customers have the opportunity to step back in time and get a great deal, and she hopes that will excite them again.

One thing she hopes happens when her customers leave is have people ask, “Where did you get that?” Not, “What were you thinking?”

Luanna’s is open 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.