When the Swanky Steer boutique opened its doors at 119 N. Main St. in Fountain Inn last month, it was the culmination of a dream for two women.
The boutique mixes Southern style with a Southwestern flair and is co-owned by Kristen Gault and Erica Rector. They’ve been traveling around in a box trailer for most of the past three years, stopping at rodeos, street fairs and church events and selling their Southern-meets-Western clothing, gifts and home décor.
“Swanky Steer is a combination of Southern grace and Southwest grit,” Rector says. “So we bring a combination of Southern belle to the stage with cowboy flair.”
“We can style you for any occasion and we have all kinds of accessories,” Gault adds.
The style is quirky and fun, but the story behind Swanky Steer couldn’t be more serious. Back in 2017, Gault, an elementary school teacher, got some shocking news.
“I was diagnosed at the age of 37 with breast cancer,” Gault says. “I’d never had a mammogram before, I was super young, I had a three-year-old, and I found a lump the size of my thumb. It was very aggressive, very hard to treat, and I didn’t know if I was going to be here for a month or a year or five years.”
Gault began a long journey that included chemotherapy treatments, radiation, a mastectomy and a hysterectomy. And Rector was by her side for all of it.
“Throughout all of this, Erica never missed a chemo treatment,” Gault says. “And I’ll never forget this, she would bring a purse, or she would bring me earrings, or she would bring an outfit she had found that would cheer me up a little bit. So during a very dark time in my life, it was like, ‘You know what? Why don’t we try our hand at this? Why don’t we start a little boutique or a small business?’ And so that’s what we did.”
The two women started by selling out of their cars before graduating to a box trailer and now their first brick-and-mortar spot.
They both still work full-time (Rector owns an insurance agency and Gault still teaches), but they have been, as they both put it, “blessed” by friendships they’ve made over the last three years.
“In the midst of everyone looking for work and needing help, Kristin and I have been blessed with 10 employees,” Rector says. “And it’s through friendships that we have made throughout our entire journey.”
“God has paved the way completely and brought all of these precious people into our lives who have made Swanky Steer what it is today,” Gault adds.
Hours:
- Tuesday-Thursday: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
- Friday: 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.
- Saturday: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Instagram: @SwankySteer
Web: theswankysteer.wixsite.com/swankysteer
