Jennie Crosby and Jennifer Limehouse recently set out to pour into the Summerville community by opening a women’s boutique which enhances both the customer’s confidence and the small business scene in quaint downtown Summerville. Louise is “a reflection of us,” according to the duo, meaning they refuse to stock anything they don’t fully endorse and project an overall mood in the image of their original dream. This approach to business also means that the process of perusing the market, buying and selling clothes remains fun, fueling their passions and spilling over to customers as they help them find confidence in style.
Though Limehouse and Crosby’s mark is on everything, the door is still wide open to varieties of color, materials and accessories. With the assortment for customers to choose from, there will always be something that resonates with someone, reflecting on different aspects of personalities and considerations from the curators. This makes excitement is palpable when customers walk in, greeted by a world of hues, without the overwhelm of over selection; it’s an invitation for them to find themselves in brands like Agoldie, Citizens of Humanity, Show Me Your Mumu, Mignonne and many more.
Louise understands that fashion is more than just the clothes one buys, but rather an expression of oneself — as well as a route to help people feel more self-assured. Picking pieces of an outfit to create the perfect expression of the customer is the goal, but Louise strives for something a bit bigger too. Their passion for community shines even in the name Louise itself. A name that means something to the owners – it’s the middle name of both their daughters — the traditional moniker welcomes women from any age. Everyone deserves to feel confident, and through frills, leathers and the occasional sequins, the women behind Louise cannot only create a stronger individual, but they can help weave a stronger community. While these loose threads may seem too small to make a huge difference, Louise proves that passion and confidence will create everlasting bonds, the very heart of community.
It is their love for the community of Summerville that is one of the strongest motivations to succeed. The pair will not understate how important Summerville is to them. Rather than choosing a location to commute to everyday, the team opted to enrich their own corner of the world. They refuse to let Summerville fall behind where there was space in the market, so creating a local business to help the economy of Summerville is a dream come true. Businesses like Louise aim to light sparks of confidence in the individual that eventually shine brightly enough to create a vibrant community, like bits of fabulous fabric eventually weave together the perfect dress. And that dress – of confidence, of fashion, of a dream to achieve — is reaching across the Lowcountry, draping it in that Louise “X-factor” already.
For more information, please follow @louiseofsummerville on Instagram
By Brooke Watson