Mōka Boutique believes that a locally-owned business knows its community and how best to dress it. When the previous boutique, The Root, was planning to close due to the pandemic, my daughter and I decided to buy it. The Root had been voted Bozeman’s best-loved boutique by locals for twenty years running, and we believed it deserved a soft re-boot (pun intended). Our first move was to ensure that the amazing staff stayed on: with over 20 years combined expertise, we knew that they were the key to the store’s continued success. We then hired amazing new staff to round out this all-female team. With their help, we created a plan to preserve what we loved best about the store, and make key changes to better serve our customers. Over the past year we added a new dressing room and sitting areas, expanded our inventory to include teens and a greater selection for mature women, and began focusing on ethically-sourced brands. We retained exclusive lines with Roxy and Billabong, added more styles and products from Free People, and began carrying clothing and accessories that are made in the USA, made from sustainable and recycled materials, and made by women-owned companies. Our favorite new accessories include Opolis(r) sunglasses and GotBag(r) backpacks made entirely from recycled ocean-plastic. We know Bozeman customers care about ethical sourcing and the environment as much as they care about great fashion at affordable prices. We can do both, and as our town continues to grow, we plan to hold true to the values that have made Bozeman such an amazing community.
Perhaps our most exciting change is that customers can book out the store for parties! We provide stylists to help parties of women or tweens to find their best looks. We arrange for food and beverage for each event. We are excited to debut our new wine tap, courtesy of Blend – for Sip and Shop evenings, with red and white wine available for shoppers over 21.
We are excited to celebrate both our remodel and our brand new Main Street sign! The name Mōka comes from my years teaching anthropology. The Kawelka tribe in New Guinea have a tradition of holding huge feasts in which a person’s status and prestige increase based on their generosity and how much they give away. My daughter and I loved the sentiment, and that became the name. The lion logo is because we are both Leos, and since my husband is South African, it just seemed right (thanks to Newhouse Design).