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Converted from paper version of the Broad Ripple Gazette (v07n18)
Niche Boutique - a year of designer styles - By Mario Morone
by Mario Morone
posted: Sept. 03, 2010

Erica Lundeen is the proprietor of Niche Boutique, located at 916 Broad Ripple Avenue. A Zionsville native, Ms. Lundeen has worked in the design and merchandising industry for 15 years. She described her shop's merchandising mix.

Niche Boutique - a year of designer styles - By Mario Morone
image courtesy of Mario Morone
Quan


"The types of women's clothes that we sell are dresses, accessories, denim jeans, belts, bags, a few separates, lots of jewelry and earrings. We sell casual dresses for bachelorette parties, birthday parties and weddings. We are an exclusive local distributor of newer and up-and-coming designer names not found in department stores. We bring in new designers almost on a monthly basis and look for independent designers with unique pieces of clothing. We have a lot of local people shop here from downtown and Carmel, in addition to Purdue University coeds, working professionals and mothers," she explained. "For those who don't have enough time to go to Broad Ripple, they can visit our website, www.shopnicheboutique.com to find our designer names," she added. Their prices provide affordable fashions ranging between $35 to $65 for clothing and $15 to $45 for jewelry.

Niche Boutique - a year of designer styles - By Mario Morone
image courtesy of Mario Morone
Quan


Ms. Lundeen discussed her background. "I've worked in retail since I was 14 and have always been interested in fashion merchandising. I earned an associates degree in fashion merchandising at Colorado State University and then transferred to the University of Nevada at Las Vegas (UNLV) where I majored in painting and studied mixed media. I enjoyed it and I love art," she emphasized. Though, as Niche Boutique's proprietor, she doesn't paint as much now, Ms. Lundeen's artistic creativity can be seen in the store's layout and design.
"After graduation, I managed a store for Ted Baker in Los Angeles (a London-based fashion store reminiscent of Banana Republic) that is known for their unique merchandise window displays. The store's wallpaper designs resembled an English Countryside setting. I later worked at Juicy (an L.A. based fashion retailer) before transferring to one of their stores in Scottsdale, Arizona, where I was their west coast training manager. I trained store managers from around the country, which was fun. Our input was important in the layout of the store. We could use creative ideas in merchandising and in the designing the store. I definitely learned a lot," she recalled.
Business courses that she also took in addition to fashion and art helped develop her entrepreneurial insight. Though Ms. Lundeen's career evolved entirely outside Indiana, an eventful local experience provided her a new retail opportunity.
"Visiting my father on a return trip here, I was driving by the area and noticed [916 Broad Ripple Avenue] was the only [vacant store] space at the time. I went back home, packed my bags and returned to Indianapolis. When we signed the lease, I had an idea what I wanted in a fashion boutique and had a brainstorming effort with my family, creating the name 'Niche.' I wanted to bring Indianapolis something different. It's a good location. We opened on September 1st of last year. Broad Ripple is growing and becoming more retail oriented," she noted. A nearby children's store adds to the diversity of the neighborhood.
Since Niche Boutique was Broad Ripple Trophy Shop's former office space, it needed to be completely renovated. "From my art background, it had to be creative. We made fixtures from copper pipes where we did the measuring, cutting and designing. It took about five months from the time I initially saw the location to open the boutique," Ms. Lundeen explained. The end result has transformed the space into a chic retail venture.
Niche Boutique has several antiques in the store with their own individual histories. "A lady who formerly owned an antique store in South Carolina (now living in Indiana) donated a pharmacy table that dates back to the early 1800s. While visiting her, we also found an oak cabinet now seen in the shop. The store counter was converted from a church organ and a mirror was redesigned from a piano," she mentioned. A slot machine owned by her father appears in the store, but is not for recreational purposes.
With an entrepreneur's eye for fashion, Niche Boutique is Erica Lundeen's canvas for bringing independent designer items to today's young women, working professionals and mothers on Broad Ripple Avenue.



mario@broadripplegazette.com
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