By Ginger DeShaney

Men of Southie, get ready to shop!

Power couple Christine Crevier and Chris Yang, managing partners and co-founders of Luxe Leisure, knew there was a real need for a men’s clothing shop in the neighborhood. In chatting with customers and neighbors, it was apparent something was missing.

So they opened a men’s boutique connected to their women’s shop at 553 E. Broadway.

“A lot of men didn’t have the option to shop [in Southie],” said Chris. “There were no local boutiques. People are super excited to see we are offering a more rounded assortment for families.”

“Women are super excited, too,” Christine added. “We are filling a void.”

The men’s shop had a soft opening on Saturday, April 3, with the grand opening slated for  Saturday, April 10, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

To decide on the fashions to offer men, Chris, family, and friends looked in their own closets for inspiration. “We got feedback on what they wanted to see,” Chris said. “There’s nothing worse than getting a brand that’s poor quality.”  

“We love to get feedback on what people like,” Christine said. “We want to make sure we provide what the customer wants.”

Some of the men’s brands Luxe Leisure carries include Cuts, Rhone, Feat Collection, and Marine Layer. “These are brands people are excited about,” Chris said.

As its name implies, the shop carries items ranging from athleisure to going out to casual loungewear. “You can take it from day to night,” Christine said. “It represents the vision we had for the company.” 

To that end, the men’s fashion offerings include T-shirts, shorts, hoodies, joggers, dress pants, and more.

Luxe Leisure will continuously rotate new brands to keep things fresh and exciting. 

While Luxe Leisure started as a women’s shop, Christine and Chris always had the dream to add men’s items. “We’ve wanted to do that for a while,” Christine said.

So when the space right next to their shop became available, Chistine thought, “It would be amazing if we could take over that space and expand. It was time to take the next step.”

The previous tenant had moved out right before COVID-19 hit and the space had been vacant for several months. So Christine and Chris talked to the landlord, John Tunney, and got the space in February. The couple renovated the space to make it look more retail, hiring professionals when necessary. 

There are big windows letting in light. They installed track lighting, wallpaper, and wall racks. There’s a dressing room and a couch. The space is stylish and inviting, just like the women’s side. 

In addition to opening the men’s shop, Christine and Chris are expanding their women’s offerings to include footwear, accessories, sunglasses, and swimwear. 

Christine and Chris first launched Luxe Leisure in 2017 as an e-commerce shop, which is still active. They opened their brick and mortar shop on East Broadway in March 2018 after doing pop-ups around Boston to get a feel for the neighborhoods. “We lived in South Boston and had a special connection to Southie,” said Christine. 

Chris and Christine both hold full-time jobs outside of Luxe Leisure. Christine works in marketing for a company in the Seaport and Chris works in business development for the cannabis industry.

How did they get into the fashion business? “Both of us have worked in retail and the fashion industry,” Christine said. “It’s long been a passion of ours.

“We work 9-5, come home, eat dinner, then work on Luxe Leisure at night,” added Christine, who is the night owl of the couple, while Chris is the early riser. 

At first, Luxe Leisure was only open on weekends and by appointment. Once Christine and Chris brought on team members, they were able to be open full time.

COVID, however, was a struggle, said Chris, noting they had to shut their doors for three months. “But we were blessed to have the support of the community.” 

“We’re in a great neighborhood that supports us,” Christine said.

“We like this space. We like the relationships we’ve been able to build,” she said. “We talk to people and get to know them.”

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