Upscale Woman and Children's Boutique takes Utica Shoppers by Surprise

Hiding in a second floor building in downtown Utica sits a designer children and woman’s boutique, with the look and feel of a store you would find in a quaint up-north town.

It’s So Me Boutique opened it’s doors in November 2011, but it’s slowly growing a following among local fashionistas and mom’s looking for an adorable special occasions outfit.

“They aren’t everyday clothes but it’s a unique look. You’re not going to see your child’s Persnickety outfit at Nordstrom’s because it’s a unique boutique brand,” said part owner Ruth Russo.

Russo, along with her daughter Renee Sorgi and their friends, also mother daughter duo, Colleen Hoste and Jen Soave opened the boutique with baby clothing and crib furnishings in mind, but when the women from the salon Flaunt, which is directly under the boutique, started asking for more women’s clothing, the store’s offerings expanded.

It’s So Me offers specialty woman’s jackets, blouses, handmade hats, jewelry, intimates, Michigan State graduate Jenna Kator purses and some Michigan-made body products.

But at the core, the store’s infants to toddler clothing, which take up the front half of the boutique, are the main focus with brands such as Biscotti, Kate Mack, Ciao Marco, Tom and Drew, Kissy Kissy and Giggle Moon.

The owners handpick all the boutique’s pieces during frequent buying trips around the country, but Russo said her specialty is designing custom Bratts Décor nursery furnishings.

It’s So Me is located at 7771 Auburn Road in downtown Utica, and shares an entrance with Flaunt Salon.  The boutique is open Tuesday and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., closed Sunday and Monday.

For more information, call 586-737-7748.