Beautifully Seen boutique fills downtown space

Chloe Kleinschrodt knows how much better she feels when her clothes look good.

That feeling of confidence led the young Bixby mom to launch an online women’s clothing store 18 months ago. She ran the business along with working in accounting for an Owatonna business, a career she’d pursue for five years.

Her dream, though, was a storefront where customers could browse the racks. After her daughter started preschool and she started working in the community, “we just started coming here for everything.”

“I was thinking about (opening a shop) for a really long time, but I’m a young mom, so I’ve got a lot going on,” Kleinschrodt said.

To prepare, she did some research, by visiting each of downtown Owatonna’s boutiques.

“They all said honestly, the more boutiques downtown, the better, because people like to shop in groups and go from store to store,” Kleinschrodt said. “They each have their own niche.”

Kleinschrodt had her eye on The Music Space of Owatonna for a long time. She spotted the “for lease” sign when the business at 216 N. Cedar Ave. closed earlier this year and jumped at the chance to take that next big step, with strong encouragement from her fiancé, Alex Cortez.

The doors of Beautifully Seen opened on June 24. She admits that starting up a business has been stressful, but more than two weeks later, she has also been blown away by how much support she’s gotten from the community.

“The people with the city, all of the other small businesses around here… everyone has been so supportive,” she said. “They’ve all made me feel good.”

Other business owners have also offered to collaborate, and that’s already happened. Owatonna Shoe shared a Facebook post using a pair of their shoes matched with an outfit from Beautifully Seen, and tagged the Beautifully Seen Facebook page, which exposes Kleinschrodt’s new business to all of their followers.

To stock the store, Kleinschrodt shops a variety of online sources. She considers her own niche contemporary and young. After working in accounting for so long, she also likes the “business” look and items that are “classy and sophisticated”.

But Kleinschrodt’s primary goal is to ensure her customers leave the shop with clothing and accessories that make them feel as good as they look. She knows first-hand how important that is.

“I don’t always wear make-up, but I always dress nice, just because that makes me feel better,” she said.

“I’m just really about feeling confident and empowered, so I like making other ladies feel confident and good about themselves. When you look good, you feel good, and when you feel good, that confidence will just pour out of you.”

Beautifully Seen’s store hours are Tuesday-Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. To learn more or to contact Kleinschrodt, visit the Beautifully Seen page on Facebook.