The Folsom Chamber of Commerce, Choose Folsom, and members of the community will come together to celebrate the growing success of a longtime Folsom business owner Wednesday evening.
Anita Grey, longtime owner and operator of Anita Rochelle Boutique in Historic Folsom, expanded her business earlier this year with a second location that will be presented with its official Choose Folsom Ribbon Cutting Wednesday evening.
While her Historic Folsom location continues to thrive and will continue to operate on Sutter Street, Grey’s newest location opened its doors in the Folsom Premium Outlets this past spring. The unique shop is located in Suite #1004 of the premier shopping venue at 13000 Folsom Boulevard in Folsom.
Grey’s history of retail sales in Folsom is a true story of success when it comes to determination, entrepreneurship, and community involvement. She was first known in Historic Folsom as a vendor during what used to be known as the Thursday Night Market that took place regularly on Sutter Street. Not too long thereafter, Rochelle grew into her own brick-and-mortar space right on the corner of Sutter and Riley Streets and became a locally owned “go-to” boutique for women’s wear, accessories, and more, all of which is now celebrating more than 15 years in the community.
For Rochelle, business success has been built off her passion. Not only is she passionate about educating women on how to dress great and feel confident, but Rochelle has also been known for hand-picking her merchandise, a trait that has led to the shop’s ability to maintain bold, unexpected, and timeless high-end fashion that isn’t what you find in a department store, but rather, right here in these locally owned shops in Folsom.
The new shop is an extension of her Sutter Street location but differs slightly, offering a greater variety of women’s clothing as well as men’s selections, décor items, gifts, and more.
In 2023, Rochelle was named Folsom’s Small Business of the Year in the annual Folsom Community Awards presented by Choose Folsom and the Folsom Chamber of Commerce. The annual awards carry much prestige in the city and beyond as recipients are nominated by the community for consideration and then reviewed and announced by the leadership of the chamber before a large audience.
Rochelle was presented the award on that special night by Shannon Robb, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships for the Folsom Chamber. Robb first met Rochelle back in 2009 at that Thursday night market and knew she was going to succeed as a local business owner.
“I first met Anita in 2009 when she was a vendor at Thursday night markets,” said Robb as she presented the award on stage. “She fell in love with Folsom and decided to open up her own little shop. Through all of the changes and revitalization of the district, Anita has always continued to keep a positive attitude and continued to get innovative with her business, which continued to grow. There is no small business that I know that has worked as hard as she has.”
Wednesday’s ribbon cutting welcomes members of the community to come join the celebration. The event takes place from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. with the official cutting of the ribbon at 6:00 p.m. In addition to the traditional fanfare of a Choose Folsom ribbon cutting, Wednesday’s event will feature food samplings from J.Wild’s Livery and Feed, sangria pourings, and more. Goodie bags will be presented to the first 25 attendees. James Grey will also be offering a free Cha Cha lesson at the event as well. The evening will offer savings as well, with 25% off all regularly priced clothing items and 10% off any clearance items.
Those looking for more information on the event can visit the Choose Folsom website here.
To learn more about Anita Rochelle Boutique, visit their website here or check them out in person. Store hours are listed on their website.
This Folsom Times Article is a product of our community partnership with Choose Folsom and the Folsom Chamber of Commerce in an effort to promote local commerce and residents to shop local.
Photos by Bill Sullivan an Courtesy of Anita Rochelle Boutique
