Walking into Marketplace Boutiques, guests are flooded with contrasting visions of holiday cheer, chic clothing and boutique items, all displayed in uniquely decorated spaces. The store serves as a place for small retailers to set up shop and sell their own products, and at the same time, has provided storeowner Julie Smith the ability to fulfill her childhood dream to own a business. "Having my own business has been something I've wanted from the time I was a little girl," she said. "And to have had the events of my life come together in such a way that now I have a business—and it's not just business, but I host other businesses—is really like a dream fulfilled for me." Just months after opening in March, Smith said the store made the 2015 ShopAcrossTexas.com "Best Stores in Town" list, which allows readers to choose top shopping spots in the state. Smith's boutique provides different retailers with space to display and sell their products, which vary from women's apparel and accessories, children's clothes and gifts, to boutique items and home decor. Around 40 different businesses lease space and business owners are allowed to paint and decorate their own space. All store transactions come through a system that allows her to track inventory sales accounting for each one of the businesses, and presents them a net check twice a month. "It benefits both of us because they're depending on me to provide an upscale retail environment for their product, for their customers. [This benefits the store] because they're out marketing, directing customers to their location at this store," she said. Lisa Dorfmeister, owner of LDesigns, set up her shop in Marketplace Boutiques in March 2014 and can often be found altering the design of her space, adding clothing items, new headbands and jewelry selections. Another business owner who can often be found organizing her quilting space at Smith's shop is Tisha Copeland. Rows of colorful fabrics and unique pattern designs fill her corner of the store that she launched in April. "[Marketplace Boutiques] has benefited me in that I did not have to go into a freestanding retail location where costs are triple the amount what they are here," Copeland said. "I am able to start my business at a much more manageable level for one person." Copeland also explained how the stores within Marketplace Boutiques help each other out through the overflow of customers who come for particular stores. "Even when I'm hosting [quilting] classes, the other merchants are benefiting from my students who come in to the boutique," she said. 8300 Preston Rd. #150, Plano, 972-377-9400, Hours: Mon.–Sat. 10 a.m.–9:00 p.m., Sun. 1 p.m.–6 p.m., Facebook: Marketplace Boutiques