Francesca’s Boutique has been at the Oakway Center for almost two years, but the brand has been around since 1999. Their first store opened in Houston, Texas, and they now have more than 500 boutiques.

According to the store manager, Kymmi Hanks, “Francesca’s is not your average store — it’s a boutique. We only get five sizes per style and once it’s gone, it’s gone.” By having minimum merchandise, Francesca’s can roll over items quickly, and always have new things in stock.

The store itself is small, but they make good use of the space by keeping clothing predominantly on the outer edge of the store and using mixed wooden tables inside to display scarves, candles, books and other quirky gifts. The layout keeps it from feeling overwhelming. There are also two dressing rooms tucked into the back left corner.

“We sell tons of unique gifts — stuff you won’t find anywhere else around town,” Hanks said. While Francesca’s main selling point is clothes, Hanks said their goal is “to dress our customers from head to toe, accessories too.” One cool find is a unique pair of silicone molds for baking muffins. They’re blue with a denim pattern, so when you bake your muffins, they look like “muffin tops.”

Francesca’s also has room decor, including pillows with funny sayings and tons of cute wall art you won’t find anywhere else.

“I love the variety that they carry — it ranges from casual to classy, and the environment in the store is great,” student shopper Emily Squires said.

Francesca’s offers a 10% discount exclusively to UO students with a student ID. Getting to the register may be a bit difficult, though, because both sides of the register have large tables on both ends stocked with inspirational books, drinking accessories and various other goodies.

The staff is great as well. They greet you upon arrival and are ready to assist in any way they can.

As they just received their new spring merchandise, now would be a great time to check out the boutique.

Happy shopping!