Customers call her “The Diva of Secondhand,” and describe her new store, The Green Boutique, as “thriftique.” Raechel Kolling calls herself a store owner who wants to give Toledoans “another way to be green, shop local, and not overspend” while looking for fashion, accessories, and home décor. After 15 years working in an office environment, Kelling decided to follow her dream of owning an eco-chic boutique. She makes jewelry from broken, discarded, junked or vintage pieces and restores and/or repaints used or discarded furniture, mirrors and home décor pieces.
Offering gently-used clothes, purses, and shoes, she fashions used or second-hand threads, unique pieces that appeal to people who believe in recycling and its ability to improve the economy and the environment. “I want to change the way shoppers view second-hand shopping with the look and feel of a high-end shop without the high-end prices,” Kolling says. “Most shoppers who come in do not know I’m a thrift store until they see my prices or I explain what I'm about.”
The Green Boutique is located at the Marketplace West Shoppes, 3606 Sylvania Ave. (near the intersection of Monroe & Sylvania Ave.) Store hours are weekdays 11am-7pm, and weekends 10am-4pm. 419-206-9458. www.thegreenboutique.org.