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On Friday, Nov. 8, ambassadors from the Dripping Springs Chamber of Commerce joined Monkee’s of Dripping Springs for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the boutique’s grand opening. Afterward, visitors sipped champagne, shopped, and chatted with store owner Elona Appleby.
Monkee’s of Dripping Springs is a highend women’s boutique, is owned and operated by Appleby, with her mother, Lilly Kulla, assisting as a buyer and helping manage inventory. The mother- daughter team has curated a distinctive selection of women’s clothing, shoes, bags, and accessories.
Appleby has been in the fashion industry for a very long time and has been a wholesaler of my own brand for the past 10 years. “Monkee's differs from everything else in the area. We are a high end boutique carrying some of the top quality brands on the market, she said.
Though Monkee's is a franchise, each store has the freedom to source its own selection of fashion items to sell to its clients.
“When I go to the showrooms and markets to curate for the shop I focus on small boutique brands with a few of the bigger favorite brands. I shop for all the ladies in our community, from the high school girl headed to prom, to the young mom, to the more mature ladies, Appleby said.
At the event, Derek Welborn operated a pop-up hatter's station near the front of the store, showcasing his collection of custommade Western hats. Appleby said finding unique and local creators is one of the advantages of a curated boutique. While Welborn won’t be at the store except for special events, his custom hats and selection of bands will be.
“Being a big time supporter of local artists, I reached out to Derek after I saw his work and appreciated the fact that he makes his hats from scratch. I wanted to bring him in and share this opportunity of exposure with him and let the community see him in action,” Appleby said.
“I have had the privilege of calling Dripping Springs home for the past five years. I have seen it go from a quiet little town to a thriving community. When I started @exploredstx as a way to promote local businesses I realized what was truly lacking was a nice store for women like myself to go shopping at, to be able to find a nice gift for your mother, sister, friend, without having to drive 45 minutes away,” Elona added.
Monkee's is located at 136 Drifting Wind Run, Ste. 121, in the same shopping center as Garbo’s and Drip Dental. Store hours are Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, visit monkeesofdrippingsprings. com.
