An homage to her fashionista socialite grandmother, Jill Bean Greco’s Sandy’s Boutique aims to serve women of “youthful spirit” with a bold mix of activewear, casuals, and accessories.
“I want people to live like Sandy, who’s fierce. She takes no shit. And her whole thing was always just keep moving,” says the U-M grad, former fitness instructor, and Old West Sider. “So that’s my goal—if you’re gonna feel fierce, or you’re gonna be empowered in the clothes, then I’m gonna buy it.”
A large portrait of Sandra Kane in her heyday is a focal point in Greco’s newly opened shop in part of Arbor Brewing Company’s former home. “Nanny” is now ninety and dealing with Alzheimer’s.
“So we hadn’t told her anything about [the store]. I didn’t want to throw confusion into her life,” Greco relates. “But we brought her here last week. And she saw her picture, and she had a lucid thirty minutes. I just had my grandma back for thirty minutes here at the store. It was so emotional.”
Bolstered by support from husband Shawn and dog Louie, contacts from her previous venture MVMNT FIT, and funding from Hebrew Free Loan, she’s stocking wares from some fifty different brands suiting her active lifestyle and audacious attitude. No fast fashion or denim made the cut.
“Now that we’ve got people walking in and liking the stuff, I’m realizing, okay, there is going to be a group of people that do like my style. Sure, there’s going to be things I didn’t know I should have bought, but I’ll figure those out. But I’m going to stick to my gut and take the risk.”
Sandy’s Boutique, 116 E. Washington St. (734) 369–2138. Tues. & Wed. 11 a.m.–7 p.m., Thurs.–Sat. 11 a.m.–8 p.m., Sun 11 a.m.–5 p.m. Closed Mon. sandysboutique.com
