This October, a young Chevy Chase entrepreneur will be celebrating 10 years of business for Calypso Boutique, her popular Woodland Triangle Shop, and three years since the opening of High Street Fly, her shop in Chevy Chase.
Ann-Michael McCalister, who opened Calypso when she was just 26-years-old, is looking forward to the occasion and, in celebration of its 10-year anniversary, will be giving away free t-shirts with every purchase at Calypso on Monday, Oct. 2.
“I'd love to see all of our longtime and new customers,” she said, “and thank them for their support over the years.”
When Calypso opened nearly a decade ago, McCalister said the fashion scene was quite different in Central Kentucky.
“When I started, Lexington wasn't the scene it is today,” said McCalister. "I couldn’t be more happy to see it grow so much in the direction of art and expression.”
Today, Calypso Boutique sells everything a Kentucky gal could ever need, from Keeneland attire to U.K. gameday looks to formal dresses for college students.
“Originally my idea was a style more like my 25-year-old self: skater shoes and a more punk vibe,” she said. Since then, McCalister has learned to stock the sort of apparel her clients ask for to keep the business going.
“The vibe in here is young but also adult. My mom shops here all the time,” she said with a laugh.
McCalister aims to represent as many styles as possible in the store.
In addition to formal and party wear, the store has re-introduced “a lot more casual and basic things over the last few years,” she said.
Something else that has changed since Calypso opened in 2007 is the impact of social media.
“We add almost all of our products to the site, which is so much work, but I know that in 2017 if my web presence isn’t impactful then neither am I,” McCalister said.
“It truly is the lifeblood of my business,” she added, referring to social media.
As for the next 10 years? McCalister only hopes to continuing contributing to Lexington’s blossoming fashion, art, and culture scenes – something she seems to have a knack for.
When it comes to her personal style, it seems fitting that McCalister prefers a mix of pieces from her two stores.
“I wear a Kenwick tee with a Calypso velvet skirt and Chucks,” she said of her average every-day attire. As a mom of a 2-year-old, she said she appreciates the casual attire that High Street Fly has to offer.
Calypso Boutique will be open from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 2. Free t-shirts will be “first come, first serve” with any purchase while clients celebrate one of Lexington’s most popular local boutiques.