By Kelly Miller
If you’re looking for unique clothing, outfits you won’t find in every New Tampa woman’s closet, stop by la Pink Boutique, located in The Walk at Highwood Preserve (off Bruce B. Downs {BBD} Blvd.). Owner Amy Crumpton offers beautiful women’s clothing, fabulous accessories and gifts for that hard-to- shop-for lady in your life.
Amy moved to New Tampa from West Palm Beach when she enrolled at the University of Tampa, where she earned her Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Management in 1990 and has stayed in the area ever since. Amy opened la Pink Boutique in its current location in 2006 and expanded it in 2010, taking over the vacant spot next door to make the 900-sq.-ft. shop about 2,000 sq. ft.
“This is my passion,” Amy says. “I love clothing and I love accessories. I never dreamed I would do something like this, but I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.” A 15-year Hunter’s Green resident, Amy explains that it’s important to her to own a business in the community in which she lives. “I love being in New Tampa,” she says. “It’s where I live, and it’s where I want to work. I first opened the boutique here because I wanted to bring something new to the area.”
A Fun Place to Shop!
New Tampa resident Becky Hunt has been shopping at la Pink since it first opened. “They have clothes you won’t find other places,” Becky says. “La Pink offers one-of-a-kind, unique styles. And I love their customer service. It’s just a fun place to shop.”
Each week, you’ll discover something new in the store. La Pink carries many known designer brands — including active wear from XCVI and Jude Connally, denim from Kut from the Kloth, and vintage looks from Pink Martini and Nick & Moe —and Amy constantly replenishes her stock with new products from those lines and is also always adding new items and designer names. So, make sure you stop by often, because once an item actually sells out, it’s gone.
Amy regularly travels to Atlanta, Las Vegas and Palm Beach to attend vendor shows, searching for those rare specialty pieces. She always has her customers in mind and says, “I’m not going to have something in my store that I wouldn’t purchase myself.”
la Pink Boutique was one of the first stores to offer the Tees By Tina clothing line of leggings, shirts and camis. Amy supported Lutz designer Tina Goldfield when she was starting out in 2010 and since then, Tina has opened several of her own stores as far south as Sarasota. Her designs have been featured in Vogue, Glamour and Lucky magazines.
Customers also can shop la Pink’s two fabulous footwear lines, including ballet flats and flip-flops with interchangeable bows and jewelry by local shoes by local designer Lindsay Phillips. The store also carries Oka B, which also designs ballet flats and sandals. The store stocks women’s sizes 6-10, and both lines are made in the USA.
Amy says it’s important to her to offer as many items made domestically as she can. That’s why she always supports local vendors whenever possible. One of la Pink Boutique’s most popular bracelet lines, Bourbon & Boweties, is created by a Brandon, FL-based jewelry designer.
Gifts That Give Back!
If you’re looking to purchase a gift that has a backstory as unique as the item itself, la Pink has many accessories that allow customers to support great causes. One jewelry company called 31 Bits gives displaced women in Uganda an opportunity to combat their poverty by becoming artisans. Simbi is another jewelry line at la Pink that provides jobs for the people of Haiti, and a portion of the proceeds are dedicated to installing water filtration systems throughout the country. Pilgrim Imports is a line of “fair-trade” gifts and ornaments made in Thailand and Pilgrim’s sales help send children of that country to school. Shoppers will find these products all around la Pink and can read about the impact their purchases make on the product’s tags or in nearby pamphlets.
“I work hard to find product lines that mean something, whether it’s made in the USA, created by a local artist or the sale helps individuals somewhere in the world,” Amy explains.
Locally, Amy also focuses on giving back to the community by donating to local schools, especially virtually all of the schools in New Tampa, where she says she regularly donates backpacks and gift cards. She was a past PTA president at Hunter’s Green Elementary and she and her husband Jim know the importance education plays in the lives of children, which is one of the reasons she likes to make donations.Amy’s daughter Kelsey is a senior at Tampa Preparatory School and her son Cameron is a junior at the University of Miami.
Great customer service is a hallmark of la Pink Boutique. In addition to Amy, Judi Kusha and Lori Hairston have both been working for the shop for the past seven years. When Thonotosassa resident Donna Ares Kurppe is getting ready for a vacation, she says she calls Judi and tells her the types of clothes she needs and, “When I come in, there’s a dressing room full of items ready for me to try on.” Donna used to work in New Tampa, but even though she’s not in the area much anymore, she makes special trips just to visit la Pink.
“Amy’s eye for buying (clothing & accessories) is magnificent,” Donna says. “Her clothes make me feel special. I can always find something a little different.” She also loves the compliments she gets about her clothes and is always recommending la Pink to friends.
La Pink Boutique is located at 18035 Highwoods Preserve Pkwy. (same plaza as Best Buy & Men’s Wearhouse) & is open Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-6 p.m., & 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sat. For info, call 972-2862, see the ad on page 29 of this issue, & “Like” la Pink Boutique on Facebook.com to receive store specials and new product updates.
(Note-Although la Pink Boutique is the only store Amy owns, she’s also rented space at Meridian in Dade City to sell la Pink merchandise in that area for the past two years.)
No comment yet, add your voice below!