Alicia Collins and Tara Lucas want to keep business, creativity, and fashion in the family—and Northern Kentucky.
Located in Ft. Mitchell on the corner of Dixie Highway and Orphanage Road next to the Braxton Barrel House, sits Coveted Boutique. Sisters and Northern Kentucky natives 45-year-old Alicia Collins and 31-year-old Tara Lucas opened the women’s clothing, accessories, and home decor store in November, adding to the new businesses filling the plaza that became vacant in April 2018, when a popular Remke Markets location closed.
Coveted Boutique’s story starts in mid-2018. Collins was a seasoned court reporter and Lucas was a stay-at-home mom when they realized they craved a creative outlet. So the duo launched Coveted Closet Boutique, a small online women’s clothing shop. After hosting at-home markets with friends and family, their following began to grow, and in December 2018, they opened their first storefront space in Ft. Wright. Their goal? “Keep Northern Kentucky fashion forward at affordable prices,” their website says.
Last August, when the Remke Plaza retail space went on the market, the sisters quickly snatched it up. They eventually closed their Ft. Wright space and rebranded to “Coveted Boutique.” But their goal remains the same. Managed by Toria Beagle, Coveted offers the same style of clothing as before, with hopes to “sell items that make all women regardless of age, style preference, size, or income look and feel incredible,” their website says.
At the Ft. Mitchell location, find patterned and neutral tops, sweaters and dresses, and jumpsuits and jeans, all with a chic, fashion-forward feel. The storefront is also home to Tox Bar, which offers Botox, microneedling, and dermal filler services on site at the back of the store. Owner Tracy Ashworth, who previously spent 35 years working as a nurse, runs Tox Bar with her daughter Emily Hickerson and has been providing aesthetic treatments for four years. Collins and Lucas also plan to use their new space to host “give back” fund-raising nights for local charities, as well as “ladies nights,” where customers can host private shopping events with wine.
From stay-at-home moms to established businesswomen to college-aged girls, Lucas and Collins say they have a “very broad” target audience. The store’s inventory is always changing, too, because they strategically buy in small quantities. Why? Ft. Mitchell is home to a small community, and they don’t want “everyone to be wearing the same thing.” Regardless, customers can expect to find items they’ll love. Why else would they name it Coveted?
*Originally published on CincinnatiMagazine.com on January 15, 2020.
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