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Minowchic Boutique, full of sparkling dresses and bold patterns, is the embodiment of the dream of her husband, Mary Toussaint.
Toussaint attended school in Haiti before moving to Evanston at the age of 12 with her younger sister, Marie Lynn Toussaint. Mary Toussaint then attended fashion school and worked as a model. Although not her strong suit, she said she has fashion designs she would like to see created.
“I’m not good at (sketching),” said Mary Toussaint. But in my imagination I can tell someone to do it.
Instead, in November 2013, she achieved her ambitions in fashion by opening Minuchic Boutique. Asbury Avenue Boutique Vintage Clothing reflects Mary Toussaint’s passion for unique pieces.
Although it’s just a dream, her sister said she supports creating the business.
“We were planning, looking for a venue and collecting clothes,” said Marie Lynn Toussaint. “It was a team effort.”
Marie-Lynn Toussaint’s 15-year-old son, Mardochy Jean-Charles, also helped start the boutique. When the boutique first opened, Jean-Charles said that he would come to the boutique from school and see a new wall built in the boutique, which would create a suitable room or storage space.
Now, he says he finds pieces he likes at the store and takes them home to make his own clothes.
“Sometimes I wander around,” says Jean-Charles. “I get jackets, pants and shoes.”
The boutique is divided into two sides. Mary Toussaint says the vintage side contains pieces like blazers, shoes and other clothing she finds online or at estate sales, while the new side fills the room with colorful African-themed pieces.
The boutique’s walls are covered in artwork, mostly by Haitian artist Harold Alvarez, who paints by hand and by foot. Mary Toussaint said she wants to support Haitian art and culture around her store.
Mary Toussaint said she introduced African-inspired clothing to the store four years ago because her customers were showing interest in those styles. While she doesn’t have many customers from Haiti, she said she’s found that Evanston residents are very happy with her selections.
Mary Toussaint says she loves the vintage side, especially the slip of the dress. Minowchic Boutique features an entire section dedicated to embroidered white slip dresses and skirts.
“(My mother) always said, ‘Put a slip under your skirt,'” Mary Toussaint said.
Now, Mary Toussaint says she enjoys wearing a slip dress alone as a dress, something her mother says she disapproves of.
Mary Toussaint says COVID-19 is still impacting the boutique business as customer numbers have dwindled in recent years. Although she loves the place, Mary Toussaint said foot traffic has decreased significantly.
She said she is using social media platforms including Instagram, Facebook and Yelp to bring customers back to the boutique as she emerges from the pandemic.
The boutique will celebrate its nine-year anniversary this coming Black Friday weekend, so Mary Toussaint hopes business will pick up again.
“It’s been very slow, very slow, very slow lately,” she said.
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @divsgupt
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