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A delightful new shop, Not the Norm Boutique, hosted its opening on Sept. 23 in downtown Greenville. New business owners, Ginger and Bethany Norman, said they are excited for this new venture that both of them have dreamed about for years. 

Ginger said she has always had a love for clothing and Bethany currently works in fashion as a team retailer and buyer for Rue 21. 

“I’m from Pittsburgh, which is where I met my husband Cody [Norman] and what brought me to Greenville,” Bethany said. “Ginger has always wanted to own a boutique, and with my fashion background and experience I also wanted my own store, so here we are! I don’t think we would have done it alone. The two of us working together is what gave us the confidence to tackle this dream.”

The dynamic duo described their clothing selection as colorful, contemporary and unique. They offer sizes that range from small to 3x, and their demographic is aimed more for 30 somethings and up. The boutique also plans to offer jewelry, candles and footwear that will arrive in the spring. 

“We offer unique styles that not everyone is going to have,” Bethany said. “We don’t want the norm. We’re looking for styles that are really special, that people can buy something and walk out the door without seeing everybody else wearing it.”

An example of one of the unique brands offered at the boutique is from designer KMJ, Kate Mchale Jensen, a Santa Barbara based designer who repurposes menswear button-down shirts into one-of-a-kind, ruffled collared shirts with fun patterns. 

The boutique has a unique story behind its name as well. Ginger explained how the catchy shop title came to be. 

“Greta Whiddon came to my house one day and said, ‘Oh my gosh, I had a dream last night that you opened a shop called Not the Norm,’” Ginger said. “That was probably 20 years ago and I’ve kept the name in my mind since because I thought it was really neat. So when me and Bethany partnered up, it worked out perfectly with our names.”

The boutique is looking to add fun elements to the shop like espresso and coffee for shoppers, as well as partnering with Joseph Ministries for clothing donations as a way to give back to the community.

“We’re still working out the specifics, but we’re thinking it will be something like bring in 15 articles of clothing and get 15% off your next purchase,” Bethany said. 

The store’s hours are open Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday 12:00 – 5:00 p.m., Thursday 12:00 – 6:00 p.m., Saturday 9:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., and closed on Sunday and Monday. 

For more information, follow the boutique on Facebook and Instagram. The shop is located at 701 East Commerce Street, to the left of Marilyn’s Hair Designer & Tanning Salon.