Lux Boutique thriving with hard work and help from CDF’s business incubator
Renasant Center for Ideas helps small businesses go to the next level
TUPELO, MISS. (WCBI) – About two months ago, A Lux Boutique moved to its current location, in the Renasant Center for Ideas on East Main Street. Since then, business has been thriving.
Amara Rogers started A Lux Boutique out of her house two years ago. She moved to a storage unit as business grew, but soon needed a retail space. That’s when she found out about the Renasant Center for Ideas, a business incubator that is part of the Community Development Foundation. Her storefront is in a prime location, with the entrance on East Main Street.
“We have had a lot of people see us from sitting at the red light. We have some people say they have done U-turns and came back,” Rogers said.
Rogers said there are challenges and rewards to running a small business.
“The biggest one since opening the store would be me having to be here every day, having to do stuff all myself. When leaving, still having to do stuff, but we are finally getting to the place where we will hire people soon,” Rogers said.
The Renasant Center for Ideas not only provides space for businesses, but also, through the CDF and the Chamber, networking opportunities, valuable counseling, and promotion.
“All of our businesses located here are CDF members; they get that as part of the lease program. If they can get involved on the chamber side, it will help them as a small business as well,” said Judd Wilson, who is senior vice president with the chamber of commerce and CDF and regularly checks in with tenants in the business incubator.
Typically, the goal is to help a business grow and graduate from the Renasant Center for Ideas in three to five years.
Rogers said with the help of the team at CDF and a lot of hard work, she is excited for the future.
“I want to open a store in Huntsville or Florence, open somewhere different, but also have one here as well, have to figure all that out, open a good Tupelo location,” Rogers said.
In the meantime, Amara told customers to look for the Pink Bronco, parked outside of the store.
For information about available space in the Renasant Center for Ideas, go to cdfms.org.
