175 WEST CALIFORNIA STREET

Sandi Whittle, co-owner of La Bohème, gazes about her Jacksonville boutique with a smile. “My daughter, Amy Blanchard, talked me into it,” she admits. “I was happily retired.”

The two shared a vision strong enough to pull Sandi back into the workforce in 2007, and become partners with her daughter in the shop located at 175 West California. “We wanted a store that three generations of women could shop in together,” Sandi explains, “and we think we’ve accomplished that. We have groups of women—all different ages—who come in to shop together.

“We didn’t want anyone to feel priced out of shopping here,” she continues, “so we deliberately have a variety of price points. We carry about twenty different lines of manufacturers. My goal is to carry only U.S. made lines. It’s difficult, but that’s my goal.”

Sandi’s eyes linger on a tunic that she recently put on display. While many items are fitted, this one is long, loose, and looks very comfortable. Plus, being trimmed in black velvet, it has an unexpectedly elegant flare. “It’s one of our holiday pieces,” she says. “The velvet elevates it to holiday party wear.” Many of today’s fashions have a dual personality, she explains. “You could take the most dressed up top in the store, wear it with velvet leggings, and go to that party. Or you could pair it with denim the next day and go to a wine tasting. Old-fashioned rules don’t apply.”

Sandi grew up in British Columbia and knows the value of keeping warm, so she displays coats from a wide variety of manufacturers. She loves the coats from Three Stones, a Vancouver-based company. “The Canadians know how to make coats!” she says. “And from the U.K., rain boots, ponchos and umbrellas for those rainy days.

“I also carry washable faux leather and faux fur coats from Montana Company. I don’t carry anything with real fur. The only real fur in here is on Kerby.” Sandi chuckles, pointing out the store toy poodle, a curly ball of fluff who usually hangs out on a cushion in the front window. “Kerby has lots of friends who stop by for a quick snuggle.”

To go with the ready-to-wear lines, which include chunky sweaters and jeans, La Bohème carries a variety of accessories. Slip-on sleeves are made to wear under sleeveless tops and dresses. Locally-made jewelry, hats, gloves, and scarves fill niches around the store, as do seasonal decorative items for dressing up your living space.

As for that retirement…it’s still not a concern. “I remember my grandmother telling me that being around young people and keeping busy kept her young,” she says. “And that is my plan.”