A family business venture between Julie Roozeboom, center, and her daughters Karli Nikkel, on the left, and Katelyn Doane, on the right, is bringing boutique items to La Rose Marie Bakery in Sully.
A venture between a mother and her two daughters is bringing the boutique experience to an already well-established business on the south side of the Sully square.
La Rose Marie Bakery has been a hot spot for bakery-fresh items since Karli Nikkel opened three years ago in the newly renovated building that once housed the Brand Hardware Store. She ran the bakery out of half of the building while the other half underwent renovations. Once renovations of the entire building owned by Craig and Barbra Maasdam were complete, the final results opened up a lot of space. Nikkel and her mother, Julie Roozeboom, and sister, Katelyn Doane, have long talked about the possibility of adding boutique items but discussion of the idea is all the further it went. When construction was finalized and retail space available, the mom and sister partnership really took off, and the boutique dream became a reality.
The family trio relied on their sense of style and personal preferences to select vendors to help stock the boutique with a wide variety of goods. The boutique currently offers a great mix of women’s apparel, jewelry, and shoes, infant clothing and items, outerwear, and home and seasonal decor. They’ve partnered with local business owners such as Sully’s Dana McFarland of FaithInspired Signs to add signage and screen-printed shirts to the inventory, as well as Milkhouse Candle Co., an Iowa-based candle company.
The addition of the boutique provides locals with a variety of fashionable and popular shopping options close to home. “Sully doesn't really have anything like this so we're excited to offer something new to the people in and outside of town,” said Karli. “We decided the items to buy based on what we heard people around town would be interested in the most.” The business partners plan to add to their inventory as the Christmas season approaches.
The boutique side of La Rose Marie Bakery and Boutique has a wide variety of quality goods including ladies apparel, shoes, jewelry, candles, baby clothing and items, signage, and home and seasonal decor.
The boutique expansion to the bakery is truly a family affair. Julie, Karli, and Katelyn are operating the joint venture as business partners and even John, Julie’s husband and father of Katelyn and Karli, is a vital piece of the business puzzle. He handcrafted all of the clothing racks and tables for the boutique and is often a familiar face lending a helping hand. The three ladies behind this new and exciting expansion are busy leaders within the community. Karli will continue to lead the charge for the bakery, Katelyn owns and operates Arabella By Kate in Lynnville three days a week, and Julie works parttime on the night shift as an OB nurse.
Although the name change to La Rose Marie Bakery and Boutique won’t be official until the start of 2021, the boutique celebrated with a soft opening on Friday, Oct. 9. Hours for the boutique are the same as the bakery hours open Tuesday and Wednesday 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m.; Thursday 7:30 a.m.-2 p.m.; Friday 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m.; and Saturday, 7:30 a.m.-11 a.m. Plans to extend hours as the holiday season approaches have been discussed but not yet determined.
At right, a display of home and seasonal decor. The owners plan to increase inventory as the holidays approach.
