Jun 16

Jun 16 Lexington boutique relocates and expands

Mandy Bean Requena (right) and her daughter-in-law, Leslie Cooper, pose at the checkout counter at the newly expanded Lexington shop in Woodbriar Plaza on Talbert Boulevard. {Vikki Broughton Hodges/Davidson Local}

While she has quadrupled the size of her Sunny & 75 Boutique, Mandy Bean Requena is maintaining her atmosphere of friendly, personal customer service.

As a sign in the shop states, it’s all about “Fun, Fashion, Friendship.”

“I like to get to know my customers,” she shared. “That’s why I wanted a storefront.”

Requena opened her boutique last September in a 500-square-foot space in Woodbriar Plaza on Talbert Blvd. She held a grand re-opening June 3 in a 2,200-square-foot space at 41 S. Talbert Blvd., just steps away from the original location.

“I like the shopping center.” She added her husband, Antonio Requena, works next door at Don Juan’s Mexican Restaurant. “But by the time I opened I realized it wasn’t going to be enough space for me to carry everything I wanted to.”

While the original location primarily carried women’s clothing and accessories, the larger store allows not only for a broader range of those items but also clothing and items for the whole family.

There’s a “Men’s Den” section in the back of the shop with Coast Hippie, Simply Southern and Jeep T-shirts as well as Hawaiian shirts. There are also Duke Cannon beard and body care products and a natural deodorant called Pit Liquor. “There’s whiskey in it,” Requena explained. “They were actually featured on ‘Shark Tank.’”

She noted there’s a small TV in the “Men’s Den” along with a Pac-Man game to keep men and children entertained while their female family members shop.

The children’s section includes clothing from PatPat and Pete + Lucy in sizes from infant to 10/12 and maternity items such as Itzy Ritzy diaper bags and stroller caddies as well as baby shower gifts such as Warmies, small stuffed animals that can be microwaved to warm them.

The women’s clothing line has expanded from dresses, jeans and tops to swimsuits and some intimate apparel such as robes. The shop carries Judy Blue and Cello denim as well as Zenana leggings, tops and dresses and North Carolina-made Eric Casual shorts, capris and pants.

“I try to have something for everyone and offer it in sizes from extra-small to 5x if I can get it.”

Accessories include Bogg bags, Jen & Co. handbags, wristlets and several unique jewelry lines as well as a large section of shoes made by the Corky’s brand, including flat sandals, platform sandals, sneakers and waterproof slides. She sells Watson & Co. socks distributed by a business based in Tyro.

“Since we moved, about 50 percent of our sales have been in shoes.” Requena said she can now keep more sizes in stock.

Gift items in the shop include 40-ounce Morgan tumblers for hot and cold beverages, Mixologie roll-on perfumes and Touchland hand sanitizer spray that has its own case that can be attached to a keychain.

There’s even a small snack section in the shop that carries Raleigh-based Carolina Kettle chips and Trinity-based S&P lemonades. Dog treats are available, too!

Requena has been in direct sales for years, most recently with LuLaRoe before opening her own storefront. She started doing Facebook Live sales with LuLaRoe and continues to do them weekly with Sunny & 75, which she hopes to ramp up to two to three times a week for the online customers she has established across the country.

Requena has gained countless new customers since relocating and hopes to keep that momentum going. She said her husband and parents, Bill and Barbara Bean, have been supportive of the expanded business and her daughter-in-law, Leslie Cooper, works in the shop with her. “She’s my little sidekick.”

Boutique hours are Monday and Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; closed Wednesday; Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The phone number is (336) 300-7167.