Why did we start Three:Twelve? The Inside Edition.

Why did we start Three:Twelve? The Inside Edition.

          Three: Twelve has been open for a little over 4 months now and I, Mariah, frequently get asked why we decided to open a boutique, our goal, and what Three:Twelve means. So, I’ll start from the beginning.

            From a young age, we all get asked the question, you know the “What do you want to do when you grow up?” and for as long as I can remember, I very boldly told everybody that I wanted to be a stay at home mom. As I grew, I began to realize that being a stay at home mom wasn’t an option as the only thing I would do in my life, don’t get me wrong, it’s still the goal someday but I realized I would have to do something until I had kids and most likely even when I did have kids. I began to think I wanted to be a nurse, a midwife, a social worker…. etc. All great professions, that I genuinely thought I would like to do. But, when people asked me what I was planning on doing in the future, when the future wasn’t so far off, I always stated “I’m going to be majoring in Social Work but if I could really do anything I would open up my own boutique...” (and be a stay at home mom... but that’s beside the point :) )

When I got married to Graham, who is much more of a doer than a dreamer compared to me, he always said, “We should do it someday, open a boutique, why not?” and I would chuckle.

 Moving forward, we lived in Omaha, I worked at a boutique where I learned tons of great things, we moved back home, we got the opportunity set in front of us to open a boutique, and Graham pushed me to take the leap. We decided, that I would not continue with my degree in Social Work and run the boutique here in Sioux Center. Thankfully, I do not run the boutique completely by myself, Graham and his dad do most of the business side while Graham’s mom helps me navigate the retail side of the store. What a blessing to have mentors so willing to help us! Graham’s parents actually own the boutique right now, while Graham and I are learning the ropes of owning a business.

To this day I still can’t believe it, my dream is a reality. What I giggled and so light-heartedly talked about is actually up and running.

            My goal of the boutique is pretty simple. I always knew the choices of clothes shopping was scarce in Northwest Iowa, but not until we moved back from Omaha did I realize how scarce it was and how few options compared to the city we had. So, I decided, if we would open up a boutique we would make it feel big city-esque. We would bring in the newest fashion, the trendiest looks, the unique store-front look, the experience, and a price point that the community would enjoy. So, that’s what we did. We brought the big city feel to the small town location.

            Lastly, and probably the most important is the most frequent question, “why ‘Three: Twelve’ for the name?” I had a lot of names go through my head, but most of them didn’t have a greater meaning than cute clothes and a fun store. I wanted meaning, I wanted something that I would be proud to build a business on, I wanted a firm foundation. That’s when I decided I needed to build this around my faith. A faith that gives me enough strength do this, something I can be completely confident in, even when I’m not confident in myself, and something that is so much bigger than the clothes, the community, and myself. So, I decided to choose one of my favorite bible verses and name it after Colossians 3:12. Which states “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy, and dearly loved, clothe yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” Something we can all be reminded of day in and day out. The world is more than the clothes you put on your body, though we love what we wear, wearing compassion, wearing kindness, wearing humility, wearing gentleness, and wearing patience towards yourself and others will always be more important than the clothes we could ever pick out for you. As a boutique, we know none of us are perfect but join us in becoming a community of women who empower each other and love on one another. Come as you are and be a part of our community.

XOXO,

- Mariah Zomermaand