Out for a night in Charlottesville, Alice and Laura Reynolds stop by a restaurant for dinner. Inside, a customer recognizes them. "Hi Georgie!" she calls over to the women. Alice and Laura wave back before settling into their seats. Such is an average night for the founders of Georgie Boutique.
"Charlottesville is a really supportive community, where we can be really personal," said Laura Reynolds. "We don't have the typical salesperson-customer relationship. People come in and know us and call us 'Georgie' when they see us out."
Holding its grand opening in April 2006, Georgie is Charlottesville's newest boutique, one that boasts both classy and unique fashions. The boutique is the brain-child of sister-in-laws Alice and Laura Reynolds, whose vision for Georgie took six years of preparation before becoming a reality.
Growing up in Richmond, Alice met Laura (originally from Atlanta) through her brother Alec. As Alice and Laura lived nearby in New York City after college, they sat in Central Park and dreamed up the idea for Georgie.
"We get along really well and have such different qualities to bring. We make a good team," said Alice, who formerly worked for designers Ralph Lauren and Michael Kohrs. Laura has a background in publicity, having worked for Random House in New York and later moving to Washington, D.C. to work for National Geographic.
Walking into Georgie, one is immediately struck by the sleek, modern style juxtaposed with unique art and rich history. The building itself was formerly a feed and grain shop and the new owners decided to keep the 100-year-old exposed wood beams in the ceiling.
"It is such a modern, clean store, but there's a touch of history with the ceiling -- kind of a contrast between old and new," added Laura. "There is a lot of energy happening down here."
While Georgie carries many established designers, such as Alexander Wang and Tocca, Alice and Laura feature many up-and-coming designers whose lines have become highly demanded in the fashion world. Recently, two designers they carry, Hanii Y and Nili Lotan, were featured in Vogue.
"We go to New York three to four times a year to trade shows to find designers we want," Alice said. "We go to different show rooms and do a lot of research."
"We keep up with Vogue and go to a showroom that carries a certain line and it will have five other designers ... we go down the line," Laura added. "It's exciting. Smaller designers have some really interesting designs."
Georgie, an old Reynolds family name chosen for its whimsical, old-time appeal, brings to Charlottesville a chance to move beyond the trendy. The boutique's name also signifies the tight-knit bond the Reynolds have, as the art featured throughout the store is from Alice's mother's Richmond art gallery (also featuring University professor Richard Crozier's work). Alice and Laura emphasize, through the apparel they feature, a classic and sophisticated lifestyle blended with the comfort and ease they themselves enjoy.
"We choose things that are elegant, classy and have a design edge to them," Laura said. "There is something in our collection for every part of your life. This is what you'd want your closet to be like."
Launching Georgie in Charlottesville was a decision Alice and Laura made based on the energy and culture they found in the city.
"Charlottesville is such a cool town with a great art scene, the University and culture," Laura said. "It's a small town with a cosmopolitan sense, but at the same time, it's still growing, giving you the best of both worlds."
Georgie, welcomed to Charlottesville by both its residents and fellow shop-owners, has seen nothing but success. Planning on collaborating with the University's Fashion Design Club for various upcoming projects, Alice and Laura hope University students will embrace their vision of sophisticated casualness.
"There is a strong community of local shops with different visions and styles who, at the end of the day, support each other," Alice said. "There is room in Charlottesville to do that."
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