Feeling Confident in Mainstream Boutique Clothes

A woman who lost 80-some pounds recently came into the new location of Mainstream Boutique in Hudson, overwhelmed trying to figure out what clothes to wear to fit her new physique.

Co-owner Barb Mucci helped her find a few pieces by explaining that instead of picking bigger items, choosing those with cinching at the waist better complements her new shape.

“With positive encouragement, she walked out with a big smile,” Mucci recalls. “Everybody’s body style is different, but we’re going to come up with something that makes you feel your best.”

Mucci, a former Plain Township resident, felt that support when she first visited a Mainstream Boutique while traveling in South Carolina. She was a founding member of Women’s Impact in Stark County, and female empowerment has always been important to her. So Mucci and her daughter, Erica Sutton, opened a Mainstream in Hudson’s First & Main shopping district in late August. The mother-daughter approach is how Marie DeNicola founded it 30 years ago and manages it with her daughter, Mikayla Ketterling, in Minneapolis, and now there are stores in 24 states.

About a third of the inventory is the house brand Mac and Me, and the rest is unique clothing, accessories and gifts bought by Sutton, 31, and Mucci, 59, so the selection suits all ages.

Beyond pandemic shutdowns, Mucci says comfort and color are trending this winter and spring.

“People just want fun. They’re tired of being in black yoga pants and a gray sweatshirt,” she says.

Expect fuchsia sweaters, ’70s-inspired smiley face T-shirts and flared, cropped rust-colored corduroys. Also in are casual pieces like Clara Sunwoo’s liquid leather jacket that was one of Oprah Winfrey’s favorite things.

The house Mac and Me denim pants are both distinctive and comfortable with jagged hems and wider leg lines.

“Now everything has this glorious stretch,” Mucci says.

With a “Hey Gorgeous” sign, crystal chandeliers and pastel plush seating, it’s a stylish gathering place. Events include wine sip ‘n’ shops, local artisan pop-ups, private group shopping parties and fundraisers.

But the personal shopping approach to help customers find pieces they feel good about wearing is the main goal.

“When somebody has something on that they feel confident in,” says Mucci, “it just radiates from inside out.”