On Monday I experienced a personal shopping trip at Rue Atelier that I won through Boutique Stroll’s Instagram. Rue Atelier is located on 2981 College Ave in Berkeley and I was very excited to have won a shopping trip in a local boutique in the East Bay.
Upon entering the boutique, Armando and I were met with the lovely shop owner Barbara Dryden long with her adorable Frenchie, Gracie. Barbara was an amazing host: she had a bottle of Chardonnay and a box with two gourmet chocolate cupcakes purchased from Elmwood’s Summer Kitchen & Bake Shop a few doors down. I thought it was so fitting to have cupcakes and shopping combined in one afternoon. Two of my favorite things in one afternoon!
Cupcakes and chardonnay aside, I could tell this Boutique fit my style. The store felt like a walk-in closet, decorated with pretty artwork, a cute rug, and a nice love seat occupied by Armando during the trip. The clothing was contemporary with brands like Nanette Lepore, Trina Turk, Milly, and Paige filling the racks. What is most special about the boutique is that all of the items selected by Barbara to be sold in the store are made in the US.
Barbara is also a big supporter of local brands such as Quiet Clothing, and has recently rented out her upstairs floor to be a pop-up shop for Belle, curated by Polly Simmons. Next week there should be more items filling the second floor of the shop so I encourage any of you in the East Bay to check it out.
Now this post would not be complete I didn’t share photos of items I tried on or if I shared any of the items I bought. When I entered the boutique my eyes immediately sighted the pink, orange, and tan patterned dress by Trina Turk. I just had to try it on! That was a big mistake because I decided it had to come home with me.
I thought I was done but then my eyes spotted a royal blue dress on the mannequin, which I also proceeded to trying on. I was stuck deciding between the two, but then I decided to just take both. One is perfect for a day at the office, and the other is perfect for date night. I had 30% off as part of my personal shopping trip prize package, so I treated myself to the 2 dresses and also bought a butterfly print scarf for my mom as another birthday gift for her.
I had a blast shopping with Barbara and appreciated how we both felt similar about supporting local brands and designers. It is really easy to feel like some clothes are so expensive when compared to items from Forever 21 and H&M, but at the end of the day it feels good to support local, budding designers and designers still making their clothes in the US. It was nice to also be introduced to Rue Atelier, and I know I’ll be back to browse the scarf collection and the dresses Barbara selects to display in her store. I cannot wait to share outfit photos of the dresses I purchased in upcoming posts, so stay tuned.
A big thank you to Barbara for taking the time to talk and shop with me as well as Boutique Stroll for putting up this contest and selecting me! And as always, thank you to Armando for coming along with me on this shopping adventure and taking photos.
If you are interested in shopping at this boutique, but live too far away and can’t make it to Berkeley, fear not! Just check out Rue Atelier on Boutique Stroll. You can have access to the best boutiques in the bay area right at your fingertips! Just be prepared to see a bunch of things you want from there.
Until next time,
Brandy