SPICER—Since opening Urban Escape Boutique four years ago in downtown Spicer, Eryn Hannig has seen her retail business steadily grow with the sale of women’s clothing, accessories and gift items for the home.

Starting early next month, her business will grow even more when she opens the doors to her 4,000-square-foot store.

It’s just down the block from the 900-square-foot store where she’s been located since 2014.

Hannig, who closed her small shop on April 15, is in the final stages of remodeling the two-story building that had previously housed Marketing Concepts.

Hannig purchased the building after Marketing Concepts, a direct commerce marketing business, relocated to Willmar.

When Hannig is done, the building will feature a 3,000-square-foot sales floor on the main level and offices for her staff on the second floor.

She will carry clothing and accessories for men, women and children and feature an expanded selection of home decor and gift items.

She’s creating a children’s play area next to the fitting rooms to make it easier for customers to shop, and there will be a designated space for online merchandise storage that will make it easier to ship orders to customers.

In the back half of the building, Hannig is developing space for two other enterprises—possibly a juice bar and an event space—that could be leased by other individuals. Details are still being finalized, she said.

The interior color scheme will be black and white, and the exterior will also be painted with a black and white color scheme and feature new signage and decorative exterior accents.

Hannig is tackling the task of transforming the large space into a cozy—yet upscale—shopping environment with the energy and creativity that has served her well during her journey in the business world.

The 38-year-old has experience in banking, marketing and blogging. She has designed jewelry that she sold on Etsy and at craft stores, and she operated a boutique called Vintage Glam at the mall in Hutchinson for several years before she opened Urban Escape in her hometown of Spicer.

She loved her original Spicer location, which was tucked between two restaurants with a clear view of Green Lake across the street.

“It’ll be bittersweet to leave,” she said. “But we’re growing and we just need a bigger space.”

The new location, which is also across the street from Green Lake, has the added advantage of having exposure to state Highway 23 traffic and being located next door to a new hotel.

The transition to a bigger store didn’t happen overnight.

Hannig said it took a year-and-a-half from when she first looked at the Marketing Concepts building before the sale was complete.

Along with a major remodeling project and moving into the new building, Hannig said her website will also be revamped and relaunched before the store reopens in early May.

The store will be open seven days a week during summer months.

Her former store location will house a new business called Lone Tree Board & Paddle that will have kayaks, paddle boards and other sports equipment and clothing for sale and rent, along with watersports lessons. That business is also scheduled to open next month.

Marketing Concepts, which is now located at 768 North Creek Drive in Willmar, had an open house April 17 at its new location.

West Central Tribune by Carolyn Lange