Katie Minard knew what her life's motto was at a very young age.
"I grew up with a mom and two sisters, so the big thing in our house was always color coordination," Minard laughed. "Ever since then, I've always had a passion for fashion."
This passion didn't have a second to subside, especially when she first opened Modern Edge Boutique on Oct. 5.
The 403 South Oak location was originally purchased by Kayle and Nick Kiesling, friends of Minard's. The storefront then underwent a transformation of knocking down walls, pulling in new construction and adding a plumbing system and a new ceiling. Then, Minard and her family took over with fresh coats of paint and wooden fixtures to hold merchandise of quality clothing at an affordable price for California customers to adorn themselves in.
"Most of the vendors I use are wholesale, online for the most part," she said. "A lot of them are from Los Angeles."
Minard first started selling clothes from her sister Haille Batican's store, E-Commerce. The base was online, but after a few months of careful organization, a brick-and-mortar store was set for Modern Edge. While Minard still sells her wares predominately on Facebook, she said her new business was certainly placed in the perfect location.
"I absolutely love the window front. It's the perfect location for me," Minard said.
The location was also perfect for residents who found themselves waiting for the train to pass during an important day for Modern Edge.
"It was really funny," she said. "When we were putting up our sign and displays for our opening day, the train was going by. So everyone stuck waiting for it to pass got to see us putting everything up. It was kind of perfect."
Just over a month has passed since Modern Edge Boutique officially opened its doors, but Minard said she has been quite busy keeping up with orders and taking care of customers in her store. She has since hired a crew of high school students to help her with the day-to-day.
"My employees are absolutely fabulous," she said. "I just love to see them grow. We're really all like a big family, and that's exactly what I wanted when I opened this up."
While her family did indeed help quite a bit in the opening process, one family member still assists around the store.
"My niece, Zaylee, loves to walk around and greet customers when she's here," Minard said of the toddler. "She greets them like they're her very own customers."
More ongoing support stems from Minard's boyfriend.
"I really don't know where I'd be without my family's support in all this," she said. "But I love what I do here. They always say that if you love what you do, you never will work a day in your life."