A different kind of class

By Jared Hoffmann

Matt Frye/Sun News
Kelly Gardner, owner of The Market Boutique in Zona Rosa, opened one of the few locally owned businesses in the Northland shopping center last fall.

It was a career move that former Weatherby Lake resident Kelly Gardner never saw coming.

A graduate of Park Hill High School and an elementary/special education major at Northwest Missouri State University, Gardner’s primary ambition was to become a teacher and enlighten the masses of young minds one lesson at a time.

But after five years as a fifth-grade teacher at Renner Elementary School, she began to develop a new career vision. The result of that vision was The Market Boutique, a women’s apparel store that debuted in Zona Rosa late last year.

“I loved teaching and I loved the kids,” Gardner said. “I just felt like I was ready to work for myself and do something creative.”

Pursuing her dream of owning a fashion retail store was no simple task. While maintaining her day job as a teacher, Gardner kept busy in her off time working on business plans, ordering merchandise and trudging through the other tedious processes that accompany owning a business. Gardner said the entire process, from concept to completion, took roughly two years. In the days leading up to the store’s opening last October, Gardner said the walls of her home were lined with racks of pants, purses and accessories waiting for the design and construction process to be completed.

“It only took about two days to actually move everything into the store,” Gardner said.

Now, with the interior design complete and merchandising in place, Gardner said she felt good about the decision to pursue her own business. The product line features a trendy array of women’s clothing, shoes and accessories. Among the notable brands carried at the store were Amy Kathryn handbags, J and Company, Matty M and Sweetees. The boutique even carries local lines such as Junky Munky and City Strip Designs, both based in Kansas City, and Moonlight Leather of St. Joseph.

Gardner said the idea behind the market concept was to gather the latest trends and provide a limited selection at the store to ensure an individual’s purchases were unique.

“I felt that people were ready for something more unique in this area,” Gardner said. “I just kind of decided it was now or never.”

Rosemary Salerno, Zona Rosa’s general manager, said in a retail district that boasted several national chains, locally-owned businesses were actually somewhat of a staple.

“We actually have a lot more here than people think,” Salerno said. “We love that because it adds a really unique flair to our center. I think the local businesses really compliment our national chains.”

Though the winter months often equate to slower business times for Zona Rosa tenants, Gardner said the warmer weather was already generating higher traffic at the store.

“Now that the weather is getting better, people are finally starting to get out,” Gardner said.

The Market Boutique:

- Location: 8610 N.W. Prairie View Road, Zona Rosa 

- Store hours: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Thursday; 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday; noon to 6 p.m. Sunday

Locally Owned

The following is a list of Zona Rosa businesses owned by residents of the Kansas City area: 

- Marshmallow Kisses 

- Balano Jewelry 

- Avalon Day Spa 

- Tom Fooleries 

- O’Dowd’s Little Dublin Irish Pub 

- Escapist Skateboarding

Staff writer Jared Hoffmann can be reached at 389-6636 or jaredhoffmann@npgco.com.