On the west side of one of the busiest stretches of the westernmost highway in the United States, Danielle Hutchinson, owner and manager of Lark and Meadow boutique in Lincoln City, Oregon, walked around, pointing out her favorite items in the shop on a sunny Saturday afternoon in March.

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“We like to cater to our locals and to people who are visiting here,” Hutchinson said of her typical clientele. “It’s mostly locals here right now, but that’s why we wanted to open in February so we could get the locals’ opinion. I think it’s really important for the people who live here to have input on our store.”

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Hutchinson said she’s been working on opening her own store and dreaming of a boutique like Lark and Meadow for a long time. Originally conceiving the idea for a children’s clothing store, the concept for the store eventually evolved to include items for women, as well as for children. 

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“My family and I have lived here now for just over five years,” Hutchinson said. “We moved here from the [Willamette] Valley, and I felt I was constantly going online for shopping and paying for shipping or we were needing to go to the valley to find unique things that weren’t at our mall here.”

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With more than 20 such boutiques between the two most populous cities in the Willamette Valley, Eugene and Salem, Hutchinson’s problem on the coast was indeed presented a problem to fashion consumers on the coast. A quick Google search will yield only a small handful of stores that aren’t chains or big box stores, and with only four or five in Lincoln County, the boutique stores similar to Hutchinson’s are small in number. 

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“I decided to bring it to our community,” Hutchinson said. “I thought it was something people in the community could appreciate, too.”

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The clothes Hutchinson sells in her store come from big warehouses in Los Angeles, she said, although she still works with small shop owners in other areas, as well. Her passion for collaborating with other small business owners like herself pushes her to find shops that are doing good things for their communities. 

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Some brands Hutchinson carries in her store, like Kate Quinn and Wee Little Rascals, she sources from other small shop owners. Other brands, like the women’s line Sugarlips, is often sold in places like Nordstrom and Urban Outfitters, Hutchinson said. 

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“I love that we sell Pacific and Pines,” she said. “They’re actually local to Lincoln City, so they are a husband and wife team that are just amazing. They have really adorable stuff.”

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Pacific and Pines isn’t the only brand in the store Hutchinson finds adorable. Some of Lark and Meadows infant clothes, like the line Miss Rose Sister Violet, makes unique baby items Hutchinson describes as pieces that can be passed down through the family. 

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“I really like heirloom gifts,” she said, holding up a tiny dusty pink baby onesie with lacy frills. “I think they’re really special to be able to gift someone something that could be passed down for generations. I think that’s really cool, and this is one of those products.”

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Some of the most popular items in the store for women, according to Hutchinson, is a line of lacy bralettes often worn by young women to events and on nights out. The styles carried in the store are similar to a line of bralettes from Free People, and indeed bear a striking resemblance to the product sold by the popular brand

“They’re from a brand called Wishlist,” she said. “I like them better because they’re padded and adjustable, unlike the Free People ones, so they really can just make you feel very beautiful, even if it doesn’t show.”

While only a month old, business at Lark and Meadow is doing well, the boutique owner said. Owning and operating a business like hers has its challenges in a town of 8,000, she added, but Hutchinson’s customers appreciate having a store like hers in town.

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“I want to bring the community something really great we haven’t had in a long time,” she said. “A lot of big stores have squashed little stores, and I think we’re coming back. We’re coming back with a vengeance.”