Winter is in full swing, and both boutiques and Athens residents have been preparing for the colder weather.
According to Brianna Colvin, the assistant manager at The Other Place, located at 43 S. Court St., the boutique had began preparing for the winter season in fall.
“It’s winter, so everybody is wearing leggings and sweatshirts and it’s mostly boots, gloves and stuff because it’s cold,” Colvin said. “Everyone wants to be comfortable.”
The boutique carries brands like Sperry and Ugg boots alongside other different winter accessories like hats, gloves and sweaters.
“We order clothes usually a few months ahead (when) we get ready for winter and fall,” Colvin said.
Although they had prepared for the season by purchasing more stock ahead of time, many of the winter apparels were quickly bought by customers this year, she said.
“Winter actually went really fast this year,” she said. “We had stuff and then it was just gone, so we just have to keep ordering things offline.”
Customers who shop at The Other Place tend to buy more of the sweaters that are “big, comfy and soft” said Colvin.
“(That’s why) we get different brands of sweaters in,” Colvin said.
Another shop that offers winter apparel is Artifacts Gallery, which is located next to Casa Nueva at 2 W. State St. The store offers vintage-style clothes as well as a small winter selection.
Thea Erwin, a sales associate at Artifacts Gallery, said customers who shop there enjoy the selection of velvet and pleather-style clothes. Pleather is a type of plastic material that is made to look like leather, according to Merriam-Webster.
The store also offers winter accessories like hats, gloves and scarfs, which are the most popular items sold in store as residents of Athens bundle up for the cold, Erwin said.
“For winter, it’s more (about) comfort because there’s a lot of cold and walking around,” Kate Hermanowski, a senior studying environmental biology, said. Hermanowski lives on Court Street and said she passes by the boutiques every day.
Although Hermanowski prefers to shop at Urban Outfitters when she is visiting home, she would be interested in purchasing winter accessories from the boutiques in Athens.
“I would buy the winter accessories if it was advertised well,” said Hermanowski. “Sometimes I walk in the boutiques just for fun.”
@aj_baumann
