Misti Bohnert said she knew she wanted to open a boutique inside of a house. When she heard a house had opened up in Friendswood, she decided to drive by after work one day “just to see.” Two years ago, the house, located at 402 E. Edgewood Drive, became Paisley Lane.

“When I walked in I said, ‘This is it. I’m going to do it,’” Bohnert said.

Bohnert said she puts a focus on what customers are looking for so she can meet their needs.

“I need to know what they want. I need to hear what they are saying about my store,” Bohnert said.

She said she tries to cater to her customers’ tastes and fills the store with brands such as PAIGE, Ella Moss, Bridgewater, Siempre Viva and Jenny Bird. Paisley Lane sells clothing, accessories and home goods for women and children.

According to Bohnert, building customer relationships is one of the most rewarding parts of running the business, especially when it comes to dressing a client for a wedding or baby shower.

“I love getting to know my customers. I’ve built some really close friends from helping them,” she said. “You help them plan for [the occassion], and then you get to hear about it afterwards.”

Bohnert has worked in retail since she was 18 and learned through experience at Cotton Club Collection, ByGeorge and Neiman Marcus.

The biggest challenge Bohnert has faced so far in her business is recovering from Hurricane Harvey.

“Small businesses are suffering really bad. I didn’t see a customer afterward for almost two months,” Bohnert said.

Now most of Bohnert’s business is for special occasions and vacations.

“When my customers come in I have usually three generations shopping here–grandma shops here, mom shops here and the little girl shops here. I wanted to carry things any woman could buy,” Bohnert said.