In 2009, the duo opened C’est Chic, their first foray into the business world since becoming moms in the late ’80s. Greenwell said their goal was to bring a gift shop with local apparel to Southwest Austin.
“We got tired of having to drive out to Westlake or Lakeway to find gifts because there was nothing local at all anywhere around here,” Greenwell said.
C’est Chic has an ever-evolving inventory of clothing, candles, jewelry and household knickknacks, with a growing emphasis on locally made products over the past 11 years, she said. The shop features two jewelry lines created by Circle C residents; Austin-based products such as Kendra Scott, Dot & Dash and El Arroyo; and Texas brands such as Tyler Candles, she said.
“People do come in and say, ‘Wow, I’ve never seen this; the products that you have are so unique,’” Greenwell said. “That’s what we hope for. We don’t want to be like Target; we want to be the place that has unique things you don’t see everywhere else.”
She said the shop also tries its best to accommodate customers who have specific requests for a certain product.
“If it looks like they aren’t seeing what they want, we ask if there is something they would suggest that we start carrying,” Greenwell said.
As members of the community, Greenwell and Cooper said they like to give back to local causes. The shop has sponsored local school sports teams, supports the Southwest Austin Hunter Henderson 5K and has prepared backpacks with Austin-based nonprofit Carrying Hope in the past.
Although the store is open to in-person shopping, Greenwell said she misses being able to host community events during the pandemic. She said she hopes to resume events later this year, including open houses and trunk shows that help vendors connect with the community.
