Connie Idyllwild recently quit her corporate job to follow her dream – to start a fashion truck boutique and drive it around Long Beach, California, selling vintage-inspired, handmade clothing she designed herself.
And though her idea sparked in California, she started the fashion-forward project on Four Corner’s turf, in Gem Village. Her mobile boutique made its debut in the Off the Beaten Path Art Explosion and, since then, it has made a few Durango appearances.
The truck was at last Sunday’s flea market, nearly sold-out and will make many more appearances until its August departure, she said.
Idyllwild, who grew up in Durango, moved to California to pursue a degree in fashion design. She’s been residing there for the last five years. Prior to her stint in Long Beach, she was the owner of the downtown sewing studio, Kitty Kitty Boom Boom.
As she entered the corporate world, managing the Forever 21 Irvine Spectrum store, she pursued her dream of fashion design through her online clothing boutique, Idyllwild Designs. The company has an online retail store and a blog.
In California, a top place for fashion, celebrities and style, she came across a peculiar trend – mobile boutiques. They came from all around the region, she said, and they created a following.
“I filed the idea in ‘Someday I’ll work for this’ in my head,” she said.
However, when she brought the idea up to her uncle, who owns Pine Valley Rental & Sales in Bayfield, he had just the vehicle for her.
“I had the inventory, I had the blog, I had the following, so I quit my job and drove to Durango,” she said.
Idyllwild’s life-changing decision took place in June. The truck’s transformation happened in eight days and is now adorned with “Idyllwild Designs Mobile Boutique” on the side in a delicately feminine font.
A key characteristic of the business – besides the uniqueness and mobility – is affordability. None of items in the inventory costs more than $50, she said.
“It’s been really positive. We’ve had a lot of excitement, especially in a town like this where you end up paying a fortune in the tourist-driven boutiques,” she said.
She sells a lot of limited, handmade, one-of-a-kind pieces, she said. She also offers other clothing options through an independent retailer.
Also, she soon hopes to begin a line of pet accessories. She plans to use her Boxer, Tyson, as her model and muse.
Though her decision to quit her salaried job and start a business on wheels may seem rash or even crazy to some, she is utterly happy.
“It’s a bit nerve-racking to say the least because I’m out here without a safety net, but at the end of the day, the things you are going to regret are the things you never did,” Idyllwild said.
She’s received so much feedback that she hopes to make it a multicity business. Spend spring and summer in Durango and fall and winter in California.
Idyllwild is also in the process of obtaining a business license to be able to sell her merchandise within the city limits.
“At this point, the whole purpose of this was to get away from that corporate world and kind of be a Gypsy,” she said. “I’m going wherever the wind takes me with this little journey.”
vguthrie@durangoherald.com
