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Date: 1/28/2020
CHICOPEE – A boutique in Chicopee that was once an online store, is growing rapidly and is expanding both their store and offerings to the community.
Lotus and Compass first began as an online-only boutique in 2018. Melaney Houle then opened the boutique’s first brick and mortar store in 2019 with her husband, Brandon.
Recently Melaney and Brandon expanded the space their store took up and have plans to continue growing the services they offer to the community.
Melaney explained when the Chicopee Chamber of Commerce moved out of their store front space on 264 Exchange St., the pair took the opportunity to expand their business and give the store more space.
“We had already started to max out on the space,” Melaney shared. With plans to open a yoga studio in the coming year, and host more events at the store, she said the decision was to offer a “better experience for customers.”
Taking over the storefront, she said, gave them more than enough space to put in a yoga studio, kids room and enough room for merchandise. “The space we moved into was perfect, [it] gave us room enough for everything we needed,” Melaney stated.
The idea to incorporate a yoga studio into their space came about when Melaney, who said she’s been practicing yoga since high school, realized there were no dedicated studios within city limits.
Melaney said the store plans to start offering classes in March, becoming the first dedicated yoga studio in the city. “I told my husband I’d love to be the first one, I shouldn’t have to drive 25 minutes to take a class,” she stated. “My goal is to make yoga a little bit more accessible.”
Currently, Melaney is taking a course to finish her 200-hour certificate, which will enable her to teach classes out of the store. The space is about more than yoga classes though, she explained.
“Our whole mission is about female empowerment, feeling proud in their skin and who they are. I struggle with anxiety and yoga has been a coping skill,” she said. “We want them to have a place to come and have a place where they can be who they are.”
Also new to the store is a kids room, which was unveiled at their grand re-opening on Jan. 17. Melaney said while the store previously had a “smaller common area” with drawing materials for kids, “it wasn’t really set apart.” She said with “double the square footage,” they aim to be “a place where the whole family can come and enjoy themselves.”
While the store grew rapidly in its first year in a store, Melaney said for now adding yoga in March will be the “biggest expansion” for now. However, she said there are additional plans for the yoga studio when classes are not being taught.
“When we’re not teaching yoga, we want to teach workshops,” Melaney said. “There are not a lot of options in this area for my demographic, 30s, mom of a couple kids, a place where you can go out for a few hours and have a good time.”
She said throughout 2020 she plans to change this by offering events such as a monthly book club meeting. “A huge goal for 2020 is to work with other businesses in the area and bring in more events,” Melaney said.
You can find Lotus and Compass at 264 Exchange St. in Chicopee or online at https://lotusandcompass.com.