Bound To Be Different looks different in its new location, but it’s the same personable Amy Hughes behind the counter.
Hughes moved her boutique shop into its new digs at 9739 Willow St. and opened the doors there for the first time Thursday to rave reviews.
“We had to come today,” one customer coming through the doorway could be heard saying. “It’s so perfect.”
“It’s encompassing,” said another.
Hughes took possession of the new site July 1 and kept the old location at 9736 Chemainus Rd. open until July 17 before making the full-time move.
“We started painting on the first of July,” said Hughes. “We finished at eight o’clock (July 21).”
Most people can relate to projects coming down to the last minute and this was no exception. Renovations not only included paint, but also a new fitting room, storage space, light fixtures, tables and a counter. Ward and Kathy Yeager did the flooring.
“It’s been so busy,” said Hughes. “It’s been wonderful. We had a very big team of helpers.”
Foremost among them doing the work was her husband.
“It feels so bright and airy,” Hughes noted.
All the windows and a nine-foot ceiling are other features most to her liking.
“I’m already in love with it,” she said. “I absolutely loved the other shop. But it was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.”
Plenty of regular customers have been stopping in since the reopening, but “lots of walk-by traffic, too,” added Hughes.