Community Highlights: Meet Allison Montague of Snapdragon Boutique

Today we’d like to introduce you to Allison Montague.

Hi Allison, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story. 
After having my first daughter in Colorado, we decided to move back to Michigan, where I grew up. At the time, I was a practicing Labor and Employment attorney and licensed Child and Family therapist. While I enjoyed both of those professions, I always had a secret fantasy of owning a children’s clothing store. After passing the Bar Exam in Michigan, my husband and I were driving back from a celebratory trip to Chicago when a childhood friend called me to discuss her idea to open a children’s clothing store in Denver. As we discussed her plans, I teased her about moving back home as I had to open the store in our hometown–listing off a number of reasons and giving her my suggestions about how and where to do it, etc. When I hung up, I always say that two fateful things happened: first off, my husband had been listening to my end of the conversation, and secondly, he agreed with me! We drove by the location I mentioned to my friend on our way home that day to verify that it was still available (it was!), and the rest is history! 

Of course, things weren’t quite that simple, but I benefitted from a lot of luck and help. Exactly six months after that trip, Snapdragon Boutique opened its doors, and we will be celebrating our 20th year in 2024! My goal was to find a career that could be more family-friendly, and opening the store provided me more flexibility to parent my children. It also required a lot of work and challenged me in many ways. 

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Owning your own business is demanding and challenging by its very nature. Add to that my total lack of retail or business experience, an economic downturn (2008), a pandemic, and the day-to-day issues of staffing, inventory management, etc. and it is not for the faint of heart. After a successful start, another business (a toy store) approached us to add a second location near them, so we expanded to two stores. Despite that location being successful as well, having two locations proved to be too much for me, so I had to make the difficult decision to close a profitable business. More isn’t always better, and scaling back to one location ended up being the best choice for me personally. 

As you know, we’re big fans of Snapdragon Boutique. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about the brand?
Snapdragon Boutique is a retail children’s clothing, footwear, and gift boutique for boys and girls, infants to teens. We pride ourselves on offering the best, unique merchandise that is both great quality and a good value. Many of the brands we started with continue to be our best sellers today: Deux Par Deux, Kissy Kissy, Pixie Lily, Tea Collection, and Zutano. Along the way, newer brands like Angel’s Face, Kickee Pants, and Mayoral have become customer favorites. Footwear brands like Bogs, Emu, Keen, Pediped, See Kai Run, and Tsukihoshi are always in demand as well. 

Contact Info:

• Facebook: snapdragonboutiquegr