Page 21 - August 2019

W himsical. It’s the only way to

describe it. Everywhere you turn,
your eyes meet display after
display, impeccably styled with a
bohemian, rustic vibe. It feels like you
stepped into the pages of a home magazine
or into the popular feeds of well-known
home and style Instagrammers. You won’t
walk away without a greeting and more
than likely will feel like family before your
feet step back outside. Add a coffee bar to
the mix and it may feel like you should just
move in. These are the markings of Urban
Nest a local boutique that boasts “fun and
unique” home décor, local artistry, clothing
and so much more.
It’s a story we all love to hear. Success
founded out of struggle. Greatness achieved
through ingenuity and hard work. It’s the
story of Anita Boose and Kaitlynn Vassalle, Kaitlynn said. “ What’s even better is I get to FaceBook marketplaces and the frenzy for
the owners and creators of Urban Nest and do it every day with my best friend, my Anita’s pieces began.
their family. mom.” With a following of women in Beaufort
Their story starts years and years before Anita thrives out of putting her stamp on waiting for Anita to list more original pieces,
the boutique would be birthed into her home and seeks to add character to it was suggested to Kaitlynn by a friend that
existence. As a child, Anita was drawn to what could otherwise be seen as a spec- they consider opening a shop together. Two
discarded things. Growing up, she was the house made in the same cookie-cutter style mother-daughter duos with a keen eye for
oldest of seven kids in a family that was as thousands of others. She joyously style and design, creating a booth style shop
extremely poor. She was homeschooled on remembers as a child, having “dates” to open just a couple days a week. Anita
and off and even as a child her passion was Lowe’s with her sister and dad. While he immediately said “no,” but with Kaitlynn’s
for design. shopped for things he needed, she would encouragement and entrepreneurial skills,
“It was feast or famine. My dad was a pick out and design a home. She dreamed they moved forward.
roofer. In the winter there were days we of design even from a young age. After signing a lease on a small space on
lived on eggs and rice because there was When their oldest daughter, Kaitlynn got Ribaut Road, adjacent to The Uniform Store,
nothing. But, I always had this desire to married and their son moved back to Ohio, the other mother-daughter pair backed out
create and decorate, even when I was little,” Anita and her husband, Ken decided to buy leaving them both with feelings of stress and
said Anita. a much smaller house. This left Anita with an anxiety about moving forward.
She carried this desire into her marriage abundance of furniture that she had painted, On August 11, 2015, Urban Nest was
when things were still tight. She was a genius distressed, or stained, that she needed to opened. The following that Anita gained
at stretching a dollar and found inspiration sell. Kaitlynn suggested listing it on the local through her social media listings and sales
from things that others cast off. These found the new endeavor enchanting and
discarded and rejected pieces became her Anita’s articulate staging of furniture on the
masterpieces and it was clear from the roadside in front of the store, brought new
beginning that she had a rare knack for patrons in daily.
making worthless things valuable. “It was tiny in there. We started praying,
“Instead of just going and purchasing Lord if you want this to keep going you’ll
something, I prefer to create it. And I carried make it happen whether it’s through The
that on even when we were more financially Uniform Store closing down or another
stable,” Anita said. avenue. Of course, we weren’t praying for
As a child, Kaitlynn was always found them to close, but just praying for a way to
playing store or restaurant instead of with make this work,” said Anita.
baby dolls or Barbie’s. It was clear from One year after opening their doors, the
even a young age, that her passion was for owner of The Uniform Store came to Anita
business and her entrepreneurial spirit and Kaitlynn and told them she was done
dominated. What seemed like a farfetched and was closing up. In disbelief and with
dream of owning a store or coffee shop great anxiety, they leased the entire building
became reality when her business savvy out to continue to grow Urban Nest.
found a way to successfully combine the two The success of the store was apparent.
into one. Anita would diligently and in true
“I always loved learning all the nitty gritty perfectionist form, get a display meticulously
details of owning a business and was an staged and within hours a piece would be
entrepreneur from a very young age,” purchased and she was back to rearranging
www.BeaufortLifestyle.com | August 2019 21