Milford Times is running a series in recognition of Small Business Month, featuring several businesses who have been had their doors open for less than two years. The second in the series is Junebugs.
What began as an assignment to create a business plan in college is now Junebugs Boutique, a trendy clothing, accessory and beauty store located in Penny Square in downtown Milford. Shelby Grant, owner, opened the boutique in 2022 and has grown the business to include babybugs, a boho boutique for children.
“The name for the boutique is very special to me as my nickname growing up was “Junebug,” after my middle name which is June,” Grant said right after she opened. “When I decided to bring this dream to life, I knew what the name had to be. This store is the perfect reflection of me.”
After two years in business, Grant says she has learned a lot and faced a few challenges. The biggest was getting the word out about the business and learning various shopping trends.
“We still get customers who come in and don’t know we are here,” Grant said. “So, we have spent a little extra time advertising recently to hopefully push it out there more. Learning shopping trends has also been a challenge as every day, foot traffic is different in Milford, so it is hard to predict how much to buy when sales can be so inconsistent.”
Junebugs does have an online store so if sales are low in the store, online sales often balance out the difference, Grant said.
“The best part of owning Junebugs are the relationships I have built,” Grant said. “We have so many amazing customers who turn into friends. Most of our customers we know on a first name basis.”
Grant advises anyone who is considering opening a retail business to do as much research as possible and start small.
“You will learn so much owning a business,” Grant said. “We would love to eventually open another storefront down at the beach. We think our boutique would thrive in a beach town.”
The one thing she would have done differently is to launch the online store and the storefront at the same time as Grant feels she left “so much money” on the table by not having an online store right away.
“I feel like being a woman-owned business has helped get us up and running,” Grant said. “There are so many women-owned businesses in downtown Milford that the support we get has been amazing.”
Junebugs is located in Penny Square at 39 North Walnut Street, Suite 105 in Milford. The store is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 AM to 4 PM. The online store can be found at junebugsbeautyboutique.com.
