LYNNFIELD — An idea that started in an Endicott College dormitory room, shared by a couple of Lynnfield High School graduates, is finding its stride at MarketStreet.
Pretty Posh Boutique, which opened this past May, is a dream come true for Alexa McCormick and her Endicott roommate Nikki Cappadona. What’s more, it’s a dream that has become a successful reality seemingly overnight.
“We started the business in our dorm room at Endicott College junior year,” said McCormick. “It’s been going well so far, so I love it.”
McCormick said she thinks of Pretty Posh as a “casual and comfortable” boutique. When things started opening up this year, demand for loungewear dropped significantly in favor of more traditional attire, a look she describes as where Boston meets Nashville.
“It’s all about fun, trendy clothing that has a southern mix with an urban vibe,” she said.
Pretty Posh was launched as an online retailer in March 2018 and earned a Boutique Hub Massachusetts Online Retailer of the Year Award in 2020. Last week, McCormick was in Atlanta to accept the award.
“It was great and it’s so nice when your hard work is recognized by your peers,” McCormick said.
McCormick’s big break came in September 2020 when she opened her first boutique at Legacy Place in Dedham.
“It was because of COVID that I got a chance to lease space there, so I went for it,” she said. “Tenants were leaving in droves, so I was able to get a pretty good deal on a great space there. COVID definitely gave me the opportunity I didn’t have before.”
In May 2021, Pretty Posh opened a storefront in Lynnfield at MarketStreet.
Most of Pretty Posh’s merchandise is private label. The exceptions are footwear, handmade jewelry from Alabama’s Crystalize and denim products from California’s Just Black Denim (JBD), which McCormick said have become extremely popular since popstar Justin Bieber launched his Justin Bieber Drew line of denim products
“People like the way our jeans fit and they like the style,” said McCormick. “A lot of us are playing off the popularity of the Bieber products, which are very expensive, so JBD is a great option. When people find it they grab it because the company has a limited number of stores that carry it.”
McCormick said the hottest trend of 2021 is the smiley face, with many in-stock items adorned with the iconic yellow symbol.
“The smiley is huge this year, huge,” McCormick said.”Last year it was stars; this year, it’s the smiley face.”
Pretty Posh believes in giving back to those who need it most.
One of its popular promotions is Giving Tuesday, when a $5 donation to Great Rock Church.
“Two donations feed one child in Haiti for a month,” said McCormick.
For now, McCormick said she is focused on what she hopes will be a robust holiday season.
“I love that the holidays are coming,” she said. “This is the busy buying season for getting your orders in. I got a lot of buying done in Atlanta, so now we just wait until after Thanksgiving. I’m hopeful that people will be anxious to get back to a normal holiday routine this year now that the pandemic seems to be getting close to being behind us.”
