Dressing for Sage Country

Located in the middle of downtown Camp Verde in the historic Wingfield Building, Lawson says it’s her new favorite place to shop. “I love everything about this store. The clothes, the accessories, boots, hats, everything I need is here now and I don’t have to drive an hour away to the big box stores.”

Sage Country Boutique owner Rebekah Sage launched her clothing career working for corporate stores such as Buckle and Maurices. She also worked at several smaller stores in Sedona and Prescott. 

“I just loved clothes and loved to shop. In 2003, I joined a group called Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA). They did medieval enactment. I learned how to sew and ended up as their seamstress for the group, making costumes for 40-50 people. I sewed for nine years and even made elaborate belly-dance outfits. I just love that type of era and costuming.”

Switching careers, Sage moved to Sedona for 17 years and worked as a life coach, from which she retired in June.  She then opened her first boutique in Camp Verde. 

“A friend asked a local business owner, Sheila, at Sheila’s Kitchen restaurant, to see if I could rent space for a women’s clothing store. At the time, I was selling out of my home. A few weeks later, I opened my first boutique starting with just a few pieces of clothing out of my closet and other inventory.  It was quaint and cozy, but I learned quickly that I needed more space.” 

A few months later, she was driving through downtown Camp Verde. “I saw a ‘For Rent’ sign in the Wingfield Building, one of the oldest buildings in town. I talked to the owner and the next day, he was taking the sign out of the window,” she said. “A couple ladies from the community offered to help me move, so we loaded up merchandise in vans and in my car, took the cash register and started selling.”

Born and raised in Camp Verde, Sage says she felt right at home. Her goal is to carry the largest collection of cute dresses in the Verde Valley. The style of Sage’s inventory is boho, pioneer, country, vintage and some steampunk, a mixture of trends from different historical periods. “I really like that era and color scheme,” she said. “It’s more innocent, feminine, romantic and lighter colors. I like to think that some of the clothes are definitely boutique-quality but less than half the price. I keep my prices low because I know I’m in a small town and I want inventory to sell so we can keep it rotating.”

“It’s my favorite store,” said Lawson. “I love the style of clothing and accessories. One time I had a dress and it was too small. Rebekah did some research and found me a bigger size. She’s just great and so bubbly and the prices are so reasonable.”

Once a month, Sage will be sponsoring a Retail Therapy Party/Customer Appreciation night where customers can shop for 20% off. “We offer some free local wines and charcuterie boards and we have a lot of fun,” said Sage. “We have a red carpet and we put it down in the middle of the store and customers model their outfits in our spacious store. This helps women feel good about themselves and they have a good time.”  

She expects to offer her Retail Therapy Party/Customer Appreciation night on the third Friday of every month, in conjunction with Camp Verde’s 3rd Friday Art Walk. “We plan to do glamour shots at our next party taking fun cell phone shots,” said Sage.

The inventory at Sage Country Boutique includes new items and resale items. The resale items must pass a nine-point inspection. “This includes items that are washed and dried, no odor, no stains, no missing buttons, zippers working, seams intact, no strings, no pilling. We want our customers to know that they are buying quality resale clothing,” said Sage.

Retail associate Emmalynn “Emma” Miller has worked alongside Sage for almost two months. “I really love it here. I’ve been in resale and retail for about five years now, so it’s just easy and Rebekah is a great boss. What is really special about this store is the customers. They’re all so friendly, and it’s really fun when everyone gets together for our Retail Therapy nights.”

When Sage is not dressing women, she enjoys being out in nature – camping, hiking and “taking the dogs down to the creek.” FBN

By V. Ronnie Tierney, FBN

Sage Country Boutique is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days a week, at 564 South Main Street, Suite 105 in Camp Verde. For more, visit the website at www.SageCountryBoutique.com.

Photos by V. Ronnie Tierney, Fresh Focuses Photography: Sage Country Boutique owner Rebekah Sage is delighted to share her women’s clothing finds, a combination of boho, pioneer and country. “It’s innocent, feminine, romantic.”