Meet Kirstin Martin of Smitten Boutique in West Loop

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kirstin Martin.

Kirstin, founder of Smitten Boutique, is a mompreneur on a mission. Smitten Boutique represents her passion for the wedding industry, empowering women, supporting mothers and making gift giving fun and easy! She’s committed to her family, her business and her community. Through it all, she is dedicated to celebrating the extraordinary milestones, everyday moments and everything in between.

Smitten Boutique opened in 2008, when Kirstin combined her consulting background and love of weddings to create a business model including wedding themed gifts and wedding planning. She had helped numerous friends with the details of their big day but, planning her own wedding really solidified her love of the wedding industry and propelled her to start Smitten Boutique!

Overtime, she re-branded her wedding planning business, in favor of a premiere custom invitation paper studio and gifts for all. While she has learned so much from running her boutique, her most enjoyable moments have always come from the interaction with newly engaged couples, new moms and new homeowners! Helping people make the special occasions in their lives extraordinary is truly a rewarding and “awe” inspiring calling!​

She grew up in Maple Heights, Ohio in a house of women (her mom, her sister, herself, Fluffy – their one-eyed Siamese cat and Molly – their rescue dog). She went to John Carroll University, graduating with an accounting degree and most importantly met her husband, Gregor. After graduating, she worked as an Auditor for Ernst & Young and after a few years escaped to Costa Rica & Mexico to learn Spanish and ultimately be inspired her to start her passion project, Smitten Boutique!

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
We opened the doors of Smitten in May 2008, just three months before my first baby was born and four months before the financial crash and the start of the recession. The first few years were a challenge, but we made some successful strategic moves, like joining forces with Magnificent Milestones (another retail boutique) to share space and expenses during the worst years (2009 – 2011) which helped get us through! Now we are getting ready to celebrate our 10th anniversary and business is going great!

Please tell us about Smitten Boutique.
Smitten Boutique Chicago is a small business nestled in the heart of Chicago’s most coveted neighborhood, the West Loop. We provide a range of gifts to enhance special occasions, a custom invitation studio and in-store events space for local bloggers, book signings and calligraphy classes, to name a few.

We have a passion for finding unique gifts that are beautiful, innovative, inspiring and personal. Discover the playful mix of adorable baby gifts, eco-friendly children’s toys, distinctive greeting cards, stationery boxes, local jewelry, unique wedding gifts, books and fabulous vintage finds. The boutique is filled with a mix of local and national artists allowing for a beautiful gift-giving experience.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Nothing – I am a big believer in living life with no regrets. If the road had been easier, I might not have fought so hard to get up the hill. If there weren’t challenges everyday – I probably would have gotten bored with owning a store years ago. I love my job, I love that every day is different and I love that my kids think it’s cool that mommy owns a store! We have the best employees and the best customers – Smitten is a happy place to be and I wouldn’t change it!

Contact Info:

• Address: 1047 W Madison Street, Chicago, IL 60607
• Website: www.smittenboutique.com
• Phone: 312-226-7777
• Email: kirstin@smittenboutique.com
• Instagram: @SmittenBoutiqueChicago
• Facebook: @SmittenBoutiqueChicago
• Twitter: @SmittenB
• Yelp: Smitten Boutique

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