Home decor store to open downtown
A store selling handmade goods primarily from Michigan will open in downtown Port Huron this summer.
The Cherry Blossom Boutique, 327 Huron Ave., will open its doors June 21 and have a grand opening June 28, said owner Megan Cowper. It will be her first entrepreneurial venture, she said.
Cowper, 27, of Clyde Township is a nanny and works part-time at Mercy Hospital in Port Huron
The store will sell specialty and gift items such as books, handbags, jewelry, baby items, hand-painted stemware and handmade greeting cards. Other than the books, about 90% of the products will be made by hand, with about 50% of items made in Michigan, Cowper said.
Cowper said she wants to offer products not available in other area stores. Shesaid she has consulted the people making her merchandise to ensure they are using environmentally friendly methods.
“A lot of it’s toward the eco-friendly end,” she said. “That was really important to me, too.”
Cowper got the idea for the store after reading a study about downtown revitalization published online by MainStreet Port Huron. The study suggested there’s a demand for a boutique-style gift shop that caters to 18- to 40-year-olds, Cowper said.
The building that will house The Cherry Blossom Boutique is owned by Shannon Byrd of Port Huron. Byrd said he was a little concerned about finding another tenant when photographer Jody Ross moved her business to a larger space in February.
