Copyright American Press
In an age dominated by one-click ordering and anonymous cardboard boxes, the simple act of walking into a local shop can feel like a step back in time — a return to a more personal way of living. This isn’t just about commerce; it’s about connection, about the unique heartbeat of a community you only feel when you meet the people behind the counter. Take Mia’s, a cozy boutique nestled in the heart of downtown Lake Charles, a place filled with trendy apparel, jewelry, handpicked gifts, hometown decor and the like. Its true magic, though, lies not just in the offerings, but in its owner, Mia Mouton-René. Her journey in the retail world began after dedicating more than a decade capturing the beauty of people by way of photography. “For 15 years I told people what to wear, what not to wear, put your kid in this, put your husband in that, wear this for your senior portraits,” she said. “I would go with them to places to pick out clothes and I would say, ‘Not that’ or ‘Let’s put these together,’ and outfit them.” When Hurricane Laura devastated Southwest Louisiana in 2020, the storm’s heavy winds did not spare Mouton-René’s studio. “I would have to pull up at Walmart to meet someone and drop off their pictures. There just wasn’t a lot of places available after the storm to restart the studio. I thought to myself, ‘This can’t be it. This can’t be the life.’ ” Then she happened upon an empty space on Pujo Street. “I shot a few times in front of this building, never in a million years thinking that I could actually occupy it. I made a call, she gave me a price and it was meant to be. The timing was really right.” Mouton-René said she never thought she would open a boutique in the space. Her initial plan was to find a space, set up a computer and work on photo editing. “I felt like I would get more balance in life to have my own space and not have my husband call me at 2 a.m. from the bedroom and say, ‘When are you going to sleep?’ I needed to separate my photography from my home life.” Because she took on more overhead by renting the space, Mouton-René decided to put a couple of racks of clothing in the front window to bring in some extra income. “And then I opened, people were coming in the door and it just literally grew into something. This was not my plan, but what really does success look like? For me, success is being able to open up tomorrow. I want to do enough today so that I can open tomorrow.” She said she counts her blessings every day. “Every time a customer walks in, I’m like, ‘Wow.’ These customers at any point in time could pick a big box store and they chose to get out of their beds, bear the cold or handle the heat to shop at my store.” Mouton-René said she is all about her customer. “It’s urgency over importance,” she said. “The urgency is the one in front of you. I tailor my business around my customer. I want to give you a tailored experience. I want you to ask me for help. I want to give you tips. There’s nothing greater than watching a woman step into her confidence when she steps out of the dressing room. That’s huge for me. That’s winning for me — and you’re not going to get that anywhere else.” Four years in, Mouton-René employs a staff of five. By next week, that number will be eight because she’s opening a second location in the Prien Lake Mall. “I’m doing that to reach a crowd that I’ve not reached and also to better serve my customers because I’m able to merchandise” she said. “But I’m never leaving downtown. My heart is here. We’ll just have two locations and I’m going to make them totally different.” When a customer buys something at Mia’s, they’re supporting a dream, ensuring the shop’s rent gets paid, that her employees have a steady income, and that the town’s sales tax contributes to the local library and public parks. In essence, the customer is investing in the unique character and resilience of their own neighborhood. “When people shop local, it means I get to open tomorrow. It means my staff gets to buy things, eat at the restaurant next door. A community is not a community without local support.” And in turn, Mouton-René gives back to the community she loves — donating to Water’s Edge homeless program and providing shoes to area school children. Shopping local is a small act with a big impact, Mouton-René said. Sway Boutique & Gifts When the initial owners of Sway Boutique & Gifts were transferred out of town due to their full-time jobs, Keller Williams Realtor Brittany DeRouen jumped at the chance to take over the Moss Bluff store. “They had actually purchased one of my listings previously so that’s how that connection was there,” she said. “I always wanted to have a retail space and it’s crazy how God opens doors for you and the stars align and it just became mine.” DeRouen took over ownership duties in 2019 — and a year later, the world shut down. “But that’s actually when we thrived,” she said. “What we did during COVID when everything was closed was we created a car-hop service. People couldn’t come in so we came to them, wearing masks, and we took their orders. Then I started what we called “Run-A-Gram” kinda like the candy grams we had in high school and it just blew up. We put a small Tyler candle with a special note and delivered it to whoever people wanted to send it to. It was messages like, ‘Light a candle. We’re going to get through this,’ or ‘Light this candle and think of me.’ People were sending sweet notes to their mothers, their sisters, their friends to let them know they were thinking of them. People were really craving those connections.” That one gesture turned into brand recognition for Sway and six years later the boutique has continued to thrive. DeRouen said growing up her dream job was to be a personal shopper. “That’s what I’m doing here — I’m everyone’s personal shopper. When I’m placing orders, shopping at market, I have my customers in mind and what they would like.” Originally, Sway was a children’s store. “We still do have children and baby gifts, but my bread and butter is from a real estate background,” DeRouen said. “My dad was a contractor and I would design all of his spec homes. That’s where my knack for home decor comes from and I wanted to bring that to Sway. It’s so important for everyone’s homes to be different and when you shop big box stores, everyone’s homes look the same. I like being able to bring something unique to the area.” DeRouen said when people shop local, they will get personalized help and attention. “Someone will come in with a picture of their mantel on their phone or a picture of some bookcases and want help designing and decorating. We do that all the time — help people put things together. We want people to feel good about their space. We have a lot of Louisiana-specific items and unique things that are hard to find and great quality.” As a small business owner, DeRouen employs a staff of five — most of whom are students at McNeese State University. “We work around their schedules and I love pouring into those girls, bringing them up and encouraging them, and then eventually they get big-girl jobs and fly our coop but it’s amazing to be able to pour into the people of our community like that.” Each dollar spent at Sway also multiples through the local economy. “When we’re supported, we can give back, support the schools, donate beautiful auction items and donation baskets. That directly impacts the children in our community. It’s a huge part of our business.” The convenience of a large retailer is tempting, but it often comes at the cost of a community’s vitality. By choosing to shop local, bonds are forged, local jobs are supported and an environment is created where passionate individuals like DeRouen and Mouton-René can thrive. “We are blessed every single day to be able to do what we do because people come in and shop and support us,” DeRouen said. “When you shop with us or any local place, you’re supporting dreams and families and a community. We celebrate every day with people, build relationships with customers, we laugh, we cry, we pray with our customers. You never know what someone’s going through and it’s such a special blessing to be here for our customers.”
