Boss Babes: KnD’s Boutique rocks San Marcos style

It’s a typical spring day in March: Thursday afternoon, the Square is packed, and the air smells of freshly-bloomed mountain laurel. Students and San Marcans alike bustle around downtown, eager to soak in the warmth of the sun.

At KnD’s Boutique, 312 N. LBJ, Kristan Alvarez is there to welcome the constant stream of her customers, some who are stopping by to browse and enjoy her appealing and brightly-colored displays of clothing and accessories, but many are there to pick up purchases they made online, which Alvarez and her mother, Della Lucio, have set aside for pickup.

The pickup side of KnD’s Boutique is a popular purchasing option held over from the quarantine. During the pandemic, Alvarez pivoted their business model to enable online shopping with in-store, minimal-contact pickup.

“My first thought was, what does the customer need?” Alvarez said, which sparked innovation as she and her family began to make up to 200 masks a day. “My mom taught me how to sew,” she said. “We even got my dad involved and made an assembly line.”

This adaptability allowed KnD to remain in operation, and for a time, they were the only shop on the block to stay open during shutdown. Adaptability also helped KnD’s adjust to the seasonal nature of owning a shop in a college town, leading Alvarez to answer the summer shopping doldrums with online specials and pop-up shops.

“Whenever students leave, it slows down,” she said. “I always try to find a way to go around it. That’s when I do a lot of sales for my locals. We love doing pop-up shops. We’ll go set up at the courthouse lawn or fiesta in Martindale. That brings more people who have never seen what’s in our shop before. It’s kind of like a little tease.”

Kristan and Della — the K and D of KnD’s — are no strangers to resourcefulness and ingenuity. The duo boasts their 10th year in business on the Square and recently won Best of Hays for Best Women’s Boutique. KnD’s will celebrate its anniversary in a big way on Saturday, April 30 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The event will feature a DJ, giveaways every half hour, food and drinks, and a special champagne toast at 2 p.m. to commemorate a decade in business.

“We’re so excited,” Alvarez said. “It went by so fast.”

The event will also feature a free Candi’s tote bag to all customers which will be good for 10% off on future purchases when bringing the tote back into the store.

It’s this level of personal interaction and incentive that keeps Alvarez’s customers returning year after year, but these are only pieces toward the whole ensemble. Other pieces to KnD’s success include a solid community of like-minded entrepreneurs and a clear vision for the future of her business.

“I feel like I surround myself with other women who are go-getters, or Boss Babes, or whatever you want to call them,” Alvarez said. “We are women supporting women. I have a lot of friends who come in here. They’ll tag and share on social media. It’s important for women to support each other and lift each other up.”

Growing within that community, Alvarez’s vision included purchasing the building that currently houses KnD’s, which she did roughly one year ago.

“Being born and raised in San Marcos, I’ve always wanted to own something downtown,” Alvarez said. “I was always asking my landlord, ‘when are you going to sell it to me? I need to buy it. She finally agreed last year.”

Though KnD’s shows no sign of slowing down now, at the time, many people questioned the timing of Alvarez’s purchase. “A lot of people were telling me, ‘You’re crazy, why are you buying? It’s the middle of the pandemic. And I was like, ‘This is my dream.’”

Alvarez has plans for the building in the future, but those are long-term goals. “I think that’s important,” she said. “Just focus on your vision and your mission. Being a young woman entrepreneur, you just have to keep going.”

Straight away, Alvarez acknowledged the connection to her community as a contributing factor to KnD’s success.

“If you need help, there’s always so many resources in San Marcos,” she said. “Main Street, the Chamber. Main Street helps me out a lot. With Main Street, there are always resources you can get. If you need help, look for it.”

Alvarez also notes that a crucial part of owning a business is passion. For Alvarez, that includes fashion, which began for her at San Marcos High School.

“I was in the dance team, and we always had to be like ‘lipstick, makeup, hair, everything done,’” she said. “I’ve always been into fashion accessories. My mother and I both. I just love dressing people up.”

KnD’s Boutique is an expression of that passion, one which Alvarez looks forward to every day.

“I love being here,” she said. “I could be here all day dressing mannequins, and finding outfits for people, and making them feel and look beautiful. I love that.” Find KnD’s Boutique online at facebook.com/knds. sanmarcos.7; on Instagram at instagram.com/shopknds/ or via their website at kndssmtx. com/

For information about their 10-year anniversary celebration, check the event page on Facebook.