By: Tara M. Kerrigan Hayes
One night, as long-term couple Christine Crevier and Chris Yang were discussing the future and life goals, they discovered they shared in the same dream of some day owning their own boutique. Unsure of what they were venturing into, they decided that with hard work, passion and dedication, they could realize their dream of doing what they love, together. That evening, they took a leap of faith and filed the paperwork for an LLC for Luxe Leisure.
With little to no money to fund a business, they invested their entire savings (their down payment to purchase a home) to invest in merchandise for their store, created a business plan, and rolled the dice.
In 2017 Christine and Chris were finally able to launch www.Luxe-Leisure.com. Having recently moved to South Boston, they stored their merchandise for the online e-commerce store in their office/bedroom, where they spent countless nights building their own website, marketing and branding in an effort to get the business up and running, each while juggling full time jobs.
They brought their website to life by doing pop up shops around Boston at private residences such as The Benjamin, 30 Dalton, Yotel and even rented space at 416 West Broadway. They carried brands with little to no distribution in Boston, driven by their dream of one day having a physical store location where people could touch and feel the fabrics and familiarize themselves with the contemporary brands they were curating.
Three months later they decided that a brick and mortar storefront would be the appropriate embodiment of the heart and soul of Luxe-Leisure, and as luck would have it, they found that right in their own backyard. In January of this year they and opened their doors at 553 East Broadway, at first by appointment only (due to their full time jobs), until their hard work and dedication paid off to enable them to hire two amazing team members allowing them to open full time. (NOTE: This fall they will expand their brand and launch a curated selection of health & beauty products with a longer term goal to branch into men’s clothing).
As grateful residents and business owners of the South Boston community, they have recently launched a Summer Series providing complimentary fitness classes such as Run Clubs and Beach Yoga led by local influencers, as well as Juice & Shop Events. They hope to continue to expand and partner with even more local businesses to give back to a place that they now call home.
As another way of supporting the community, their boutique solely features artwork by amazing and talented local artists, (which are for sale)! With their goal being to connect clientele to the artists directly, they do not accept commissions, nor do they charge for the space.
As a young and driven couple, their fervor and sacrifice serves an inspiration to other future entrepreneurs, while their gratitude to the community is a reminder of the character of local business owners we graciously welcome to South Boston.
To inquire about upcoming events, art displays, partnerships and ideas, please contact at chris@luxe-leisure.com.
