St. George boutique owner creates custom gift baskets, clothing, home decor

Written by Jessi Bang
September 10, 2022

ST. GEORGE —From the life of a full-time mom to the freedom of chasing her own dreams, one woman recently opened her own boutique store, offering uniquely crafted items and custom gift baskets for everyone on your list.

Rachel Elison stands inside her store surrounded by her boutique items, St. George, Utah, Aug. 30, 2022 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
Rachel Elison stands inside her store surrounded by her boutique items, St. George, Utah, Aug. 30, 2022 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News

Rachel Elison, the owner of My Unique Boutique, said she has previous experience as a home stager and loves putting together custom gift baskets not found in stores or online.

“I want every piece in the basket to be reusable,” Elison said. “How many wicker baskets do people have? A lot. So, instead, mine are unique and different with the use of wooden bowls that are all handmade.”

Elison said these attractive gift baskets include items that can be used throughout the home or even as a perfectly put-together centerpiece. She loves the creativity involved and has found a love and passion for the craft.

Once her son graduated high school and began to work, Elison felt the timing was right to fulfill her dreams and began to look for a storefront to open a boutique storefront. She found a large space at an outdoor outlet mall and put in the paperwork to apply for the loan. To her devastation, Elison said the loan fell through. Feeling disappointed, she wasn’t sure where to turn next.

Various items for sale at My Unique Boutique are shown, St. George, Utah, Aug. 30, 2022 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
Various items for sale at My Unique Boutique are shown, St. George, Utah, Aug. 30, 2022 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News

“I was like, OK, obviously the Lord doesn’t want me to do this, or maybe not this big, because I was approved for the loan one week and the next week I wasn’t. It was really bizarre,” Elison said.

As she continued to make gift baskets at home, she said her house was “busting at the seams” with boutique items and she was running out of room. In a twist of faith and fate, her friend Shannon Modry, who was also a neighbor, had just opened a karate dojo in town, located in a two-story building. With the dojo operating downstairs, Modry was looking to rent the space above to another business.

“It’s an odd pairing, a dojo and a boutique, but it just works,” Modry said.

“And it worked out just the way it was supposed to,” Elison added.

Various items for sale at My Unique Boutique are shown, St. George, Utah, Aug. 30, 2022 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
Various items for sale at My Unique Boutique are shown, St. George, Utah, Aug. 30, 2022 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News

Elison began to set up her shop above the dojo in June of this year and officially opened My Unique Boutique in July. Her boutique offers items from a variety of vendors, which include jewelry, home decor, women’s clothing and more. With a focus on unique items not commonly found in other places, she doesn’t buy large quantities to ensure new products are constantly on the shelves.

“That’s been my dreams and desires,” Elison said. “I’ve always wanted to open a gift basket store and then it kind of progressed to a little bit more home decor and some women’s clothing and other stuff to make it all work out.”

My Unique Boutique is located at 344 Sunland Drive, Suite 6 in St. George. For more information visit them on Instagram and Facebook.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jessi Bang was born and raised in Utah and has a passion for nature and the great outdoors. She graduated from Kaplan University in California with a degree in criminal justice. She has extensive experience in marketing, content creation, photography and copywriting. You can find her showcasing outdoor adventures through her blog, “The Rambling Raccoon.” In her free time, she enjoys climbing mountains, trail running, working out and cuddling her two lovable pups.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @STGnews

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