KEARNEY — Kearney’s Central Avenue is scattered with successful small businesses, and Simply Blessed Boutique is one of them.
A family business, the boutique joined Kearney’s downtown last fall at 2207 Central Ave. The shop is run by Emily Malcom and her mother and sister, Michele and Mia Malcom, as co-owners.
Originally an online-only retailer, Simply Blessed Boutique has recently brought its operations to downtown Kearney.
“I love the community of Kearney, everyone is so supportive,” Emily Malcom said. “I love it down here, and I love being able to meet with my customers.”
Originally from Minden, Malcom comes from an entrepreneurial family. She said her parents helped inspire her to pursue business herself. She conceived the idea to open a clothing boutique in 2018 as a way to combine her interests in both fashion and marketing.
Supported by her family, Malcom launched Simply Blessed Boutique in the spring of 2019 as an online-only store. The boutique achieved success early on with exposure through “The Bachelor” contestant Michelle Young.
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From that summer until opening the first storefront in the fall of 2021, the Malcoms were busy nearly every weekend hosting craft shows around Nebraska. For each “pop-up,” they assembled and disassembled the whole boutique for only a day or two at a time.
The 24-year-old entrepreneur graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a degree in business and has gladly accepted the challenge of the ever-changing fashion and marketing world.
Malcom said she enjoys applying her sense of style to her business and choosing which items to carry.
After originally selling only online, Malcom has benefited from having a storefront.
“Now [customers] can come in in Kearney and I can put a name to their face and start building relationships.”
Simply Blessed Boutique already has sold on a national level, but Malcom has even larger goals.
“The main focus right now is growing online, so building up our social media and ultimately expanding and being able to compete with the big online retailers,” Malcom said. “That’s my dream, and hopefully someday build my own distribution center and really just focus on the online [retail].”
Malcom opened the boutique as a way to combine her business and fashion interests.
Malcom also said she may eventually plan to open additional storefronts across Nebraska as a part of that expansion.
Mia Malcom has been especially instrumental in helping with expansion on social media including hopping on the trend of using TikTok for business purposes.
Until she takes the business to the next level, Malcom will continue to make the commute from Minden to Kearney Monday through Saturday to welcome customers to Simply Blessed Boutique.
“For me to feel fulfilled in my business, I like to meet people and establish a connection and serve directly to you,” Malcom said. “I just want to make you feel better when you walk out of the store.”
