Above: Lori DeWall of Lori Darlin’s Boutique in Fairmont displays a fall jacket available at the boutique. The store offers a wide vairety of women’s clothing, including new pieces for fall.

FAIRMONT– Lori Darlin’s Boutique, located inside Five Lakes Centre in Fairmont, offers a variety of women’s apparel and accessories. The store is owned by Lori DeWall, who opened it in Feb. 2020.

DeWall’s background is in retail and flooring. For over 20 years she worked at her father-in-law’s store, Carpet Plus.

“I had experience in sales and bookkeeping. I had some knowledge in business, but no schooling,” DeWall said.

She shared what made her want to step out and open her own business.

“A couple clothing stores in town closed down and it seemed like everyone I would run into, customers I would talk to, that’s all they would talk about,” DeWall said.

She noticed the business next door was vacant and after months of having it sit empty, DeWall decided to take the plunge.

“My husband supported me and we decided to try it,” DeWall said.

Lori Darlin’s carries women’s clothing size small through 3X. There are casual clothing items, dresses and office attire. They also carry jackets, scarves and doTERRA essential oils.

“We go through a lot of purses and jewelry,” DeWall said.

She said they get new shipments every week so they’re constantly bringing in the latest items. They also have sale racks, which DeWall shared many boutiques don’t have.

DeWall said there are so many fall trends out there right now that it all depends on what an individual is looking for.

“For jeans, we carry jeggings, skinny fit, mom jeans and flare jeans, which are poplar right now. Not everyone likes everything. There’s a variety right now and I try to carry everything,” DeWall said.

She currently has items in all of the typical fall colors, plus more.

“There’s always people that like blues so I have that right now,” DeWall said.

Over a year after opening her Fairmont store, DeWall opened a second store of the same name inside River Hills Mall in Mankato. The two stores share inventory and DeWall goes back and forth between them.

Lori Darlin’s employs seven people between the two stores. DeWall is grateful for them as she said they help her with social media and finding trends. She has begun to post more photos of her items on her Facebook and Instagram pages.

DeWall said she believes what sets her apart from most stores is that they really try to help customers find what they’re looking for.

“We can answer questions. If someone is looking for something, I can look for it for them and order it for them,” she said.

That’s not a big ask as DeWall’s favorite part of owning her own business is getting to interact with her customers.

“I like getting just as excited as they do when they find something they like. I like making them feel special. It’s fun when they find something they’re excited about. It’s a good feeling,” she said.

When asked what she thinks her business brings to Fairmont, DeWall said, “hopefully it keeps people in town. And hopefully they shop other small mom and pop shops, rather than head up to a bigger town to look around. It’s important to support small businesses.”

Lori Darlin’s is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.