Shop owner takes chance on new venture

Kathy Higley said she took the proverbial leap of faith when she opened her own business in Mound House two weeks ago.

"I just hope I land on a trampoline," Higley, 56, said with a smile.

Higley is the owner of Katie Taylor's East Side Boutique, a clothing consignment shop off of Highway 50.

Besides clothing, Higley also sells some jewelry, accessories and even larger items like a stationary workout bike.

For those who consign their clothing with Higley, she said she would like the clothing to be on hangers and pressed.

"It's hard times for everybody so I want to give them a quality product for a good price," Higley said. "I try to make sure all of the clothes are in pretty darn good shape."

Higley opened the boutique on Nov. 3. She recently retired from Carson City's Chromalloy after working there for 13 years.

She also plans on donating some proceeds to the Dayton Food Pantry by charging $5 for bags that customers can fill with some clothes.

"I have little makeups and shampoos," she said. "They're 25 cents apiece and then I also donate that to the Dayton Food Pantry."

Higley said her aunt used to run a consignment shop near Chinatown in San Francisco, which helped inspire her to go into the business.

"She used to do a lot of fashion shows for restaurants and, my cousin and I, she'd have us watch the shop as she did them," Higley said. "It was fun, we'd dress up in all her clothes. The childhood I had of doing that really stuck with me."

She said she also has some retail experience after running an antique and upholstery store in California in the 1970s.

"It's a gamble, but when you're ready you're ready," Higley said. "So far, so good."