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Charming children's boutique graduates from pop-up to permanent shop at Clearfork

Retail success stories are rare and refreshing these days — especially when they're about locally owned businesses like Collins + Conley.

The family-run children's boutique, which launched as an online store in 2019 and then got a short-term space at The Shops at Clearfork, is now throwing doors open to a permanent home within the upscale Fort Worth shopping center.

The new Collins + Conley storefront is officially opening Friday, June 24 at 5254 Monahans Ave. (between Climate and Tumi), which sister-in-law owners Ashley Watten and Sarah Leafgren say they couldn't be more excited about.

"We seriously are so humbled by the incredible response over the last year and we cannot wait for all the conversations, events, celebrations, play dates, storytimes, and more in this new shop!," they posted on Instagram when they announced the new space.

Ashley's brother Kyle Leafgren is married to Sarah; they met when Sarah was a bridesmaid at Ashley's wedding to Trey Watten.

The shop's namesakes are Ashley's daughter Collins and Sarah's daughter Conley, who were born just months apart, in November 2018 and February 2019. It was during these pregnancies that the best friends started dreaming up their business — and they weren't the only ones.

"We were both pregnant, and registering, and had a hard time finding local boutiques; all the places we used to shop were shutting down and places didn't have brands we liked," Ashley told CultureMap last year. "We always said one day we're gonna start a baby and children's boutique with all the brands we love and want and want for our kiddos. Unbeknownst to us, my parents had started to talk about it on their own, and one day we all realized we were talking about the same thing."

The Watten-Leafgren clan are a close-knit family, so they all pitched in to put plans in motion, she said. The couples, who both now have two children, even live next door to each other. Ashley and Kyle's parents are also involved.

"The entire family loves working together and C + C is a family dream come true!," they say.

As the only dedicated kids' boutique at The Shops at Clearfork, the C + C pop-up gained a fast following for its well-edited collection of baby and children’s clothes, accessories, and gifts. Shoppers can choose from a range of baby and children's clothes for girls and boys from newborn to size 9. Popular brands have included Rylee + Cru, Quincy Mae, Pink Chicken, Me & Henry, and Angel Dear.

While C + C may have a permanent location now, they will continue to operate their website and ship anywhere in the United States, the owners say.

A weekend of grand opening events will take place at the store, June 24-June 26. They include:

Friday, June 24
10 am: Ribbon cutting
1-3 pm: Vitamin boosters with Clinic Concierge
3-5 pm: Melt Ice Cream pop-up

Saturday, June 25
10 am: Storytime with Tabitha Paige
1-3 pm: Face-painting

Sunday, June 26
12-2 pm: Braid bar with House of Blonde

They'll also be partnering with other small businesses to offer giveaways and will be serving drinks and food throughout the weekend. RSVP to specific events here and follow C + C on Instagram and Facebook for updates.

Sisters-in-law Ashley Watten and Sarah Leafgren own Collins + Conley children's boutique at The Shops at Clearfork.

Ashley Watten, Sarah Leafgren, Collins Conley Boutique

Photo courtesy of Collins + Conley

Sisters-in-law Ashley Watten and Sarah Leafgren own Collins + Conley children's boutique at The Shops at Clearfork.

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Where to shop in Fort Worth right now: 6 buzzy brand new boutiques

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Y&I Clothing Boutique

This edition of Where to Shop, our regular roundup of new stores and shopping experiences around Fort Worth, has everything from a high-end designer name to a sweet resale shop with bargain prices, with cute independently-owned boutiques in between.

With social season in the wings, it's never too soon to think about acquiring that perfect party dress.

Here are 6 new shopping spots in Fort Worth:

Boss
Global fashion brand offering high-quality women's and men's apparel, shoes, and accessories just opened a location in The Shops at Clearfork, next to Tiffany & Co. It used to be Hugo Boss, named for its German founder, but in 2022, the company split into two labels: Boss and Hugo. Boss is the core brand, producing classic pieces that reflect the Hugo Boss heritage, while Hugo focuses on producing fashions and accessories for a younger demographic. There is currently only one other Boss store in the DFW area at NorthPark Center in Dallas, plus two outlet stores in Allen and Grand Prairie.

Elle Maxine
Fort Worth women’s boutique is new to the bricks of the Camp Bowie district, located at 5109 Pershing Ave. Elle Maxine is from fun-loving friends Brittany Voxland, a Fort Worth native, and Samantha Drumm, a TCU graduate, who aim to create a shopping haven that reflects their love for fashion and commitment to exceptional down-to-earth customer service. Their goal is to become a destination for fashion-loving women seeking stylish, unique, and effortlessly wearable pieces that blend comfort and trends. Their merchandise includes casual yet stylish cargo pants, quilted jackets and colorful woven sweaters, and classic easy-to-wear tops in basic, flattering hues — but also colorful blouses (with the occasional ruffle) perfect for parties and versatile peasant-style dresses that can be paired equally well with sneakers or heels.

Flipstone Vintage & Thrift
Thrift store started out as an online furniture refinishing store from co-founder Dancing Heart Inglesias, who opened this brick-and-mortar location in a former Berry's Office Furniture at 2700 White Settlement Rd., where she and her sister Lily Mekeel are selling not only furniture — dressers, sofas, tables, chairs — but also gently used clothing, shoes, handbags, accessories, home decor items, kitchenware, decorative pieces, and vintage pieces and collectibles. They’re an Indigenous business, promoting Native American culture, as well as other small businesses. They welcome donations and keep their prices extra low: Clothing is priced at a flat rate, based on how long they've been on sale. New items are $10, while older items are $2-$4, and they do a $1 sale on Mondays.

Lucchese Bootmaker
Iconic Texas-made brand is the official boot of the Dallas Cowboys, and in honor of their partnership, Lucchese just dropped a dedicated Dallas Cowboys boot collection and the brand's first-ever children's boot, The Little Gina. The Lucchese x Dallas Cowboys collection will retail for between $545 and $995 for adult styles and is available for pre-sale online and on display at select Lucchese locations.

Seven Boutique
New resale opened in May at 4933 Camp Bowie Blvd., where it's featuring used clothes with high-end designer labels such as Gucci, Alice & Olivia, Jimmy Choo, Marc Jacobs, Valentino, and Louis Vuitton — many, many Louis Vuitton handbags, you'd be silly to buy them elsewhere. They have lots of denim, lots of pretty dresses, and many sneakers, almost new or hardly worn, like the Stan Smith in a size 7 for $77. Owner Jeanice King is a longtime collector, and she accepts consignment items as well.

Y&I Clothing Boutique
What started as two high school friends with a shopping habit blossomed into this darling boutique chain with three DFW locations including this one which just opened in August at WestBend at 1621 River Run. (The two other locations are Dallas' West Village and Legacy in Plano.) The shop's name is a clever reference to the owners' names: They are both named Robin, but one is Robin with an i and the other is Robyn with a y. Their theme is quality clothing at affordable prices in a friendly atmosphere, featuring new trends in clothing, accessories, jewelry, and gifts every month. They definitely know how to court the locals, with a big selection of purple and black pieces, go TCU.

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