Washington State U. students and Pullman residents who are fed up with driving to Spokane to get their designer jean fix can now rest easy.
Located downtown in a small, simply-decorated shop, fashion boutique “Flirt” opened its doors Aug. 2 in the Market Square Building. Owner Mia Peterson said she felt there was a huge need for fashion in Pullman’s community. She said Pullman clearly has a strong college face, and both students and people from the community had to travel an hour to Spokane to buy the brands Flirt has brought to town.
“Pullman is the type of marketplace that I love,” Peterson said. “[It is] a fantastic marketplace that loves fashion.” The first Flirt location opened in Ellensburg, where Peterson lives.
The boutique’s decor was designed by Peterson, who also works as an interior designer, with the help of her 15-year-old daughter.
Flirt’s Pullman store manager, Elyse Sparks, said the store has a wide range of sizes and prices for everyone. She said they bring new clothes in every day.
Sparks moved to Pullman to take on the boutique’s management position. She worked for the Ellensburg store for about a year-and-a-half and said she is very excited to come to Pullman.
“It’s a college town that didn’t have a lot of choices for clothing, kind of like Ellensburg,” Sparks said. “There’s not a big range of options for college kids.” Sparks and Peterson are both very happy with the Pullman community’s response to the addition of a fashion boutique in town, Sparks said. She said the National Lentil Festival helped bring in customers.
“We’ve had a great feedback from the community,” Sparks said. “Everyone is just so positive and so nice and so outgoing, just coming and letting us know how grateful they are that we’re here.” In order to celebrate its opening, Flirt will bring Bobbi Brown Cosmetics to Pullman during the weekend of Sept. 10. Bobbi Brown’s make-up artists will give free makeovers to anyone who stops by the store.
“I love the quality of their cosmetics,” Peterson said.
Matthew Ballantyne, Flirt’s public relations representative, said Flirt has a partnership with Bobbi Brown which gives them the opportunity to work together in Pullman. In addition, the store will release Bobbi Brown’s new book “Beauty Rules” during the special weekend.
In the meantime, Flirt offers shoppers a variety of brands such as Miss Me, Rock Revival, Chinese Laundry and BB Dakota. They also carry clothes with WSU logos. The cost of a pair of jeans at Flirt can range from $79 to $160. Tank tops run about $16.
Sparks said it’s possible for customers of all ages to find clothes that are right for them.
“My 17-year-old sister shops here and so does my mom, who is in her late fifties, which is awesome,” Sparks said.
Pullman resident Arlana Byers said she went to Flirt with her sister, and she loved it. She said the yoga pants she bought are really cute.
“It has very high fashion,” Byers said. “(Prices) are a little higher, but for the quality of the clothes they are selling and stuff like that, it’s worth paying that price.” Flirt is located at 107 S. Grand Avenue, and is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday.