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Lana Minton, owner of Lana a Boutique, is pictured holding one of her many clothing items. She is celebrating the second anniversary of her store in West Point. Photo Credit/Denise Gilliland, Editor and Chief, Kat Country Hub.
a Minton, owner of Lana a boutique in West Point, NE is celebrating her second year of business, offering discounts throughout the store to her many loyal customers.
Running a business isn’t new to Lana. She was the owner of the L&M Shop in Lyons for 18 years prior to opening her shop in West Point. Her clientele in Lyons consisted mostly of an older group. She began losing customers gradually, due to many circumstances, such as retirement or moving to nursing homes, which ultimately brought about the decision to relocate to West Point.
“The demographic of West Point was the deciding factor,” stated Lana. “I have many customers from West Point, but I also have shoppers coming from surrounding communities, such as Schuyler, Columbus, Dodge, Howells, Norfolk, Beemer and Wisner, to name just a few.”
Her loyal customers from her L&M days haven’t forgotten about her. “My customers from Lyons, Oakland, Bancroft and other areas still do their shopping with me,” Lana said.
Lana’s shop is located at the former Style Plus shop in West Point. “The Style Plus owner, Diane, is also a good friend of mine. We knew each other through business and became friends,” Lana stated. “She couldn’t work as much due to her health and decided to retire. She came to me to see if I would be interested in relocating my business. I was excited to move as I knew it was time.”
She hadn’t closed down her shop in Lyons yet before moving to West Point, although she knew she would. “I became my own competitor. I decided to close Lyons due to lack of customer traffic. The writing had been on the wall for four years,” Lana said.
Her shop in West Point is much larger than the one she had in Lyons, offering her the opportunity to carry a larger variety of merchandise. The main level has a variety of ladies attire, everything from clothing, scarves, jewelry and a variety of shoe styles. Her upper level, the loft, houses clothing for the younger generation. “I am trying to appeal to the younger crowd. They could dress from head to toe for $75. There is also a room full of a variety clearance items for every shopper,” Lana stated.
Lana has also been doing a great deal of remodeling in her spare time. “I received a grant from Cuming County Economic Development. I bought carpet and have been doing some painting.” Lana said.
She also brought items, such as light fixtures and other things from her L&M shop. “I love to repurpose items. I also bought a chandelier from Nifty Thrifty in Oakland. I have some props, baskets, etc. from the old bathhouse in Lyons,” Lana stated.
She loves to decorate and rearrange displays in her store to make them eye catching and appealing. “I love to play, as I call it. It’s therapeutic. I also go junking when I am not working. It is amazing what you can find in thrift shops,” Lana said.
Stop in and visit Lana and congratulate her on her second year on Main Street in West Pont.
Kat Country Hub 
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