HAMPTON — Amy Smith, 30, was a stay-at-home mom before she decided to start a gift shop less than two months ago.
Honey House Boutique, a family-friendly business in the heart of Phoebus, opened March 23.
“I’ve always wanted a store,” the Phoebus native said, adding the idea to open a gift shop “popped” in her head November of last year after her daughter, Gracie started kindergarten.
And anyone who knows Smith knows once she has an idea, she “literally becomes obsessed with it.”
Before motherhood, Smith worked in the retail business part-time, balancing her job with attending Old Dominion University. One of the business she worked for, High-Ho Silver in Norfolk, introduced her to jewelry.
The store was meant to be a gift shop with home decor but Smith added retail items because she realized Phoebus had a lot of older, antique shops and lacked something new.
“I have everything from clothing to jewelry to other accessories, hats and reusable straw sets,” she said.
The reusable straw sets come in a pouch with four straws and a straw cleaner with funny sayings like “Saving the sea, one cocktail at a time.”
Her mother, Susan Thompson, uses chalk paint on furniture and sells it at the shop, while Smith’s husband, Alex, who’s in the Air Force, built all of the display.
In addition to reusable straw packs, Smith sells local products, including candles from Virginia Beach and honey from Norfolk and clothing like shirts and dresses up to size 3X.
“When people think of boutiques, they think of small sizes,” Smith said. “I want to have something for everyone who walks into my store. I want them to come in and have fun and be able to walk away with something they love.”
Honey House Boutique, 9 E Mellen St. is open Monday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays noon to 4 p.m.
For more information, visit its website.
