Mother-daughter team overcomes obstacles to open Denton boutique

by Kara Fordyce of North Texas Daily

Inside what used to be a tuxedo shop is a store with pink walls, a pink chandelier and two white rocking chairs .

This place offers mothers, daughters and grandmothers a place to shop together.

Teri and Crissy Camp, a mother-daughter pair, are co-owners of Emma's Boutique on Brinker Road in Denton.

Crissy Camp, a UNT alumna, said she decided to open the store after about a year of going from job to job trying to find something she liked, lacking passion for anything she did.

She started as a business major, then changed to education and graduated in May 2007 with a general studies degree.

"I finally decided to go out on a limb and open my own boutique here in town," Crissy Camp said. "Most people assume with my mom being a part of it that she paid my way in, but we are business partners with a 50-50 split when we are at work, and then mom and daughter outside of work."

The pair felt a need for a store in Denton that had clothing, accessories and gifts for all types of people.

Boutiques are notorious for being overpriced, so Crissy Camp wanted to make all of her items affordable but with a high quality product, she said.

"People around town needed and wanted a store where it was not all a size 2 or a size 20," Crissy Camp said. "I think people wanted clothing sizes for the average woman, catering to all sizes and all tastes."

She said the biggest struggle with running her own business was finding a space to lease and getting the store ready, including construction on a low budget.

She and her parents did all of the store preparations and construction on their own, and the store has been open since Sept. 28.

They chose the name, Emma's Boutique, because it was the name of Crissy Camp's great-grandmother, who owned her own business for 25 years, and to whom Teri Camp was close.

Teri Camp said she grew up working with her parents at an orthopedics manufacturing plant, where they taught her about entrepreneurship. The cycle of working with her family is continuing, she said.

"I treasure the time I get to spend with my daughter," she said. "If she had a different job, I wouldn't be able to see her as often."

Teri Camp said being able to build a business shows a positive side to the negative views of economy.

"Having our own business shows hope in that success can happen," Teri Camp said. "This gives inspiration to college students who are in doubt of making it in the real world."

Crissy Camp said she and her mom have a blast in the store, and she's finally found the passion she has been looking for since graduation.

"I had so many people doubt I could achieve this, especially in this economy," Crissy Camp said. "But their doubt gave me the ammunition to go forward and be successful."

Crissy Camp said it's a daily struggle to learn the business.

"It is not all fun and games, but it's a true passion of ours," she said. "It is a lot of hard work, and we learn something new every day."

For more information about Emma's Boutique, visit emmasindenton.com.