The bright pink awning and ever-changing window displays at Sash & Bow attract passersby. Photo by Abby Laub
Near the picturesque Bell Court neighborhood just off Main Street, Sash and Bow boutique makes its presence known with its hot pink awning and stunning seasonal window displays. Inside, the shelves are stocked with unique apparel, gifts and accessories handpicked by the store’s owner (and namesake), Sasha Bowlby. She opened the shop in the spring of 2016 at the age of 29, a couple of years after she started selling curated clothing online. Then and now, her operation is a one-woman show.
Bowlby curates her inventory toward women seeking a pulled-together look that’s both professional and comfortable, classic and fun, with most items at price points of $39, $59, $79 and $99. Shoppers from all over the country have made purchases through the boutique’s website, where Bowlby offers free shipping.
“The overall style at the shop is Southern chic,” Bowlby said. “I carry a multitude of brands that are versatile enough to wear in an office setting but can also transition to an evening out.”
She carries U.S.-made labels as well as brands from Canada and Germany, and even some Kentucky products: handbags from a Lexington designer, a lotion and body scrub product out of Louisville, a candle line out of London, Kentucky.
“The shop is always growing and changing merchandise and vendors,” Bowlby said, adding that she would like to increase her inventory from throughout the state. “I always stay up to date on new trends and brands that I can add.”
1 of 5
Owner Sasha Bowlby and her family completely renovated and outfitted the 2,000-square-foot showroom. While designed to present a luxurious, custom shopping experience, the store features items in an array of price ranges, with most items falling under $100. Photo by Abby Laub
2 of 5
Owner Sasha Bowlby and her family completely renovated and outfitted the 2,000-square-foot showroom. While designed to present a luxurious, custom shopping experience, the store features items in an array of price ranges, with most items falling under $100. Photo by Abby Laub
3 of 5
Owner Sasha Bowlby and her family completely renovated and outfitted the 2,000-square-foot showroom. While designed to present a luxurious, custom shopping experience, the store features items in an array of price ranges, with most items falling under $100. Photo by Abby Laub
4 of 5
Owner Sasha Bowlby and her family completely renovated and outfitted the 2,000-square-foot showroom. While designed to present a luxurious, custom shopping experience, the store features items in an array of price ranges, with most items falling under $100. Photo by Abby Laub
5 of 5
Owner Sasha Bowlby and her family completely renovated and outfitted the 2,000-square-foot showroom. While designed to present a luxurious, custom shopping experience, the store features items in an array of price ranges, with most items falling under $100. Photo by Abby Laub
Bowlby looked at downtown properties for six months before she found the location on Walton Avenue. Previously a furniture shop and a small barber shop before that, the 2,000-square-foot showroom was a blank canvas when Bowlby took it over. She and her family built dressing rooms and installed cabinetry, lights and flooring, with an ambiance that is at once luxurious and comfortable.
“I really wanted it to have a true boutique feel, so I paid attention to small details to make that happen,” she said, citing chandeliers and the specific fabrics she chose for the store’s draperies, chairs and couches. Her signature color, pink, is incorporated throughout the boutique.
Born in Lexington, Bowlby grew up in Stanton, Kentucky, and chose Eastern Kentucky University for college. She started out as an interior design major and juggled classes with a job at Boutique Milan in Lexington, where she fell in love with customer service, learning about merchandise and inventory, creating window displays, and meeting with clothing and accessory reps.
“That led me to switch majors to apparel design and merchandising, and the rest is history,” she said.
During her senior year at EKU, Bowlby worked in the merchandising department at Macy’s. It was 2009, and the economy was so bad there weren’t any full-time positions available for her after graduation.
“I wanted to be able to use my degree but stay close to home and family, and that led me to the decision of opening a boutique,” she said. It took a few years, but she was able to start her e-commerce website in 2014 and decided the next year to start looking for a retail space.
Bowlby uses her college education daily in her business. The classes she took on sewing and construction, apparel math, visual merchandising and others still help her today with inventory, window displays and selecting apparel based on fabric content.
Sasha Bowlby (right) opened the Walton Avenue boutique Sash & Bow at the age of 29. Photo by Abby Laub
“I can also credit guidance from my family members who have been involved with other entrepreneurial ventures,” she said.
Bowlby’s parents and two sisters helped her design the boutique and are available to step in to work in the store when she is out delivering personalized orders to customers.
“I pride myself on being a one-woman show and would like to continue that for as long as I can,” she said. “I really enjoy meeting all of my customers and creating those unique relationships.”
As a business owner in Lexington, one of Bowlby’s goals is “to bring awareness to shopping local within your community,” she said.
“By shopping local you receive personalized service that you wouldn’t necessarily get at big box retailers,” she said.
“We also help make our community unique to visitors, from not only within the state but outside as well.”
1 of 4
Owner Sasha Bowlby curates her inventory toward women seeking a pulled together look that’s at once professional, comfortable, classic and fun. Photo by Abby Laub
2 of 4
Owner Sasha Bowlby curates her inventory toward women seeking a pulled together look that’s at once professional, comfortable, classic and fun. Photo by Abby Laub
3 of 4
Owner Sasha Bowlby curates her inventory toward women seeking a pulled together look that’s at once professional, comfortable, classic and fun. Photo by Abby Laub
4 of 4
Owner Sasha Bowlby curates her inventory toward women seeking a pulled together look that’s at once professional, comfortable, classic and fun. Photo by Abby Laub