Home Grown Boutique – Hometown Style with Heart

BY JACLYN ROSE –

Katelyn Aleshire, the daughter of Michael and Roxanne Aleshire, is no stranger to hard work. After graduating from Acorn High School in 2014, she moved to Hot Springs, Arkansas, where at one time she worked four separate jobs. The everyday crime in the city caused Aleshire to re-think life away from Polk County and she moved home after a year and knew she was ready to become an entrepreneur and opened Home Grown Boutique.   “I’ve always wanted to have a boutique and I was tired of everyone being my boss, I was ready to be my own person. Mena is a small town and there are not many stores like mine in the area. I want my store to have a small home town feel,” explained Aleshire.

Currently Home Grown Boutique, located at 610 Mena Street, Suite A, in Mena, opened on June 4, 2015 and specializes in ladies’ junior clothes with a selection of little girls’ clothes, however Aleshire is in the process of meeting with vendors to offer men in the area a selection of clothes. “So many guys have to drive off to get their clothes so I thought I would sell them in my store,” Aleshire explained.

Aside from their graphic tees, shirts, denim shorts, jeans, capris, young girls, and plus size clothing selections, Home Grown Boutique also offers several items from local citizens. “I will always have something homemade and from local vendors. Currently, I have artwork from Tiffany and Olivia Baynes, very talented local artists and I am going to be selling CDs for Cody Davis and Charlie Farley, some guys who worked hard and did it themselves and are very talented,” said Aleshire. She also offers jewelry, homemade sugar scrubs, and some décor, as well as a selection of previously worn and deeply discounted clothing called, “Kate’s Closet.”

Aleshire does not just want her store to be her business, she always wants it to be a ministry and plans to help support other local ministries through some of her sales, ministries such as The Covenant House, The Salvation Army, Fresh Start Pregnancy Center, and Streams of Hope. “I want my business to be a covert and nonchalant ministry. I always have a scripture of the day on display. I used to think that I couldn’t reach people but then I realized I can do that just by serving them. I never really thought about it until I lived in Hot Springs with all the crime and I realized I could just treat people nice and friendly and love them like God would,” said Aleshire. Home Grown Boutique also offers spray tans. You can reach them by calling 479.216.8059 or by visiting their social media pages at www.facebook.com/homegrown and homegrownhoneys on Instagram.

“I like the freedom of living in Polk County. I love that you can go anywhere to swim or hunt and you don’t have to worry about getting in trouble. In Hot Springs it felt like you couldn’t do anything and you couldn’t find a back road anywhere and I like that everyone pretty much knows everybody,” said Aleshire.

About Author

Jeri Pearson

Jeri is the News Director for Pulse Multi-Media and Editor of The Polk County Pulse. She has 10 years of experience in community focused journalism and has won multiple press association awards.

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