Searenity now!
Panicked about holiday shopping? Relax...
By Linda Turner Griepentrog
For The TODAY
When asked to describe Searenity Boutique, owner Jen Lee said it’s “a collective of curated goods: clothing and gifts with a touch of salty (coastal) boho vibes.” Soon to be celebrating its second anniversary, this fun boutique is definitely worth its salt.
The cute shop is filled with a great mix of comfortable clothing, accessories and gifts to entice shoppers, and there’s an even greater temptation if you visit the seasonal “sale shed,” a nook off the main sales floor with reduced price items. The store’s stylish offerings are available in small to extra-large, and many items are one-size-fits-all because of their loose-fitting style.
After moving to the area as a full-time resident in 2020 — yes, in the middle of the pandemic — Lee transitioned from her job as a senior executive in the banking industry to entrepreneur of the boutique scene. The business is a family affair, as her daughter Sydney works in the shop part-time, and her son and husband help on a more limited basis.
Lee’s first effort after taking ownership of the shop was to establish an extensive social media presence. She posts daily, sometimes multiple times a day, on the store’s Facebook page and showcases new product offerings on Instagram and the Searenity website. Keeping in touch on a regular basis is her way of creating great rapport with her customers, old and new. With a background in human resources, she realizes the importance of building relationships, knowing clients’ names, whether or not they’ve shopped with her before and perhaps events happening in their lives, like birthdays and other special occasions. She prides herself on service and is proud of the abundance of repeat customers — her true measure of success. The ultimate goal is to have people feel great about their shopping experience when they leave her store.
Lee, who recently turned 50, said that running this business is “more me than anything I’ve ever done” though she does admit to being a creative and artistic person all her life, and now it all comes together in this single setting.
So, who shops at the boutique? Anyone and everyone can of course shop online, but in-store Lee meets with both locals and visitors. The latter usually have a tie to the area of some sort, as she did, vacationing here for several years before her move. The Searenity Boutique becomes a destination when out-of-towners visit.
And a destination it is, as the store offers special events in addition to the retail collection. In the adjacent “She Shed,” Lee hosts a monthly book club, but has also offered wine tastings, girls’ weekend get-togethers, bridal showers and even classes like DIY bath salts and make-your-own succulent planters. Events can also be catered, and have frequently been by the local My Petite Sweet bakery.
The shop features a unique create-your-own gift box bar. Customers select a box size and fill it with things they think the recipient would like, then Lee adds a clever tag and dresses it up for gifting. In addition, she offers some themed grab-and-go gift boxes, pre-made for easy retrieval.
When you shop at Searenity Boutique, you’ll find gift items from 40 local and national artisans, and small businesses, in addition to custom items made right in the shop. T-shirts and sweatshirts are custom embellished using the store’s graphic screen printing and heat press. And, now Lee is branching out to sell the custom shirts wholesale to other stores as an entirely separate business.
(We’ll never tell, but rumor has it there’s a back room adorned with a “Hot Mess” graphic on the wall where the custom shirts are created and where arriving garments are unpacked, steamed and hung up so they look great on the showroom floor.)
Of particular interest to local shoppers is a corner of the store showcasing “spirit gear” —garments and accessories made in school colors and familiar logos.
Looking for the perfect holiday gift? How about an advent candle, a pair of rainbow yarn earrings, a fuzzy chenille bag, an enticing DIY cocktail kit, a colorful potted succulent garden, a cozy beach blanket or this author’s favorite choice — a mug emblazoned with the word “overthinker?” Surely you know someone that can relate to that moniker.
Searenity Boutique is located at 2143 NW Hwy. 101 in Lincoln City and is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 am to 4 pm. For more information, go to searenityboutique.com or visit the Facebook or Instagram page.