FASHION FOCUS. Owner Sarah Thornton has always been into fashion, but it wasn’t until she grew tired of her dull 9-to-5 job that she decided to invest in her passions, opening the second location of her boutique, Drewmark Boutique.

A Chippewa Falls business owner is taking the typical definition of the word “boutique” and revolutionizing it to fit her broad range of creative products.

Drewmark Boutique, a new shop located in downtown Chippewa Falls at 15 E. Central St., offers clothing, custom shirts, cups, gifts, jewelry, stickers, décor and more.

This is the boutique’s second location, according to owner Sarah Thornton. A lifelong Chippewa Falls resident, Thornton said she is proud to open her new store in Chippewa Falls after opening the first Drewmark Boutique location in Holcombe earlier this year.

“I’ve been here my whole life,” Thornton said, “and downtown Chippewa Falls is such an amazing place. It’s getting bigger, it’s getting better, and people are coming from all over to experience it. It’s really nice to be a part of that.”

The young business owner, and mother of two sons Drew and Markus (the inspiration behind the business’ name), said the idea for the new business came after working a traditional 9-to-5 office job for years, and wanting to be more passionate about her work.

After gentle nudges and an outpouring of encouragement from those around her, Thornton decided to take her hobby of creating custom t-shirts and transform it into a full-time career – expanding her interests and style sense to open Drewmark Boutique.

“Finding what to stock the store with was pretty easy because I was already into fashion, so I know what I like and what other people like,” Thornton said. “I wanted the store to be somewhere I could shop for myself if I didn’t own it, so by doing that, it made the concept of what to sell pretty easy to define.”

While the goal of Drewmark Boutique is to sell affordable boutique clothing, Thornton said she hopes the Chippewa Valley sees past just the glitzy clothes and goods and that all shoppers – fashion-minded and uninterested in fashion alike – are welcome to step foot in her doors.

“Everyone sees the word ‘boutique,’ and they think about clothing, but we do so much more than just that here,” Thornton said. “My real passion is making custom shirts, decals, and cups. I love to create, so it isn’t just your average boutique.”

Drewmark Boutique is open from 10a.m.-4p.m. on Wednesdays, 10a.m.-6p.m. on Thursdays, 10a.m.-5p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays from 10a.m.-4p.m. For more information on what Drewmark Boutique offers, you can visit them on Facebook.