Wichita woman buys boutique after complaining that it was never open

Debbie Keehn credits her hairdresser for her latest career move.

Getting her hair done in the Indian Hills Shopping Center, Keehn complained that a gift shop located there never seemed to be open. Her beautician made a call to the gift shop owner, Keehn said, and “three days later, I owned a store.”

Keehn, who renamed the space Two Sparrows Gifts & Boutique, had previously worked as a real estate agent and then a field investigator for the Kansas Revenue Department, making sure special-events organizers paid their share of sales taxes.

“I had kind of been looking to make a change anyway,” she said.

The space’s previous occupant specialized in tiny tutus and other children’s clothes, some of which Keehn still has on the shelves. But she has remodeled the space and filled most of it with ladies apparel and accessories, plus gift items that range from soap and spice mixes to chimes, bird feeders, coasters and those signs that come inscribed with homespun sayings.

She’s the exclusive local dealer for one line – Heritage Falls candles from Falls City, Neb. They were burning in the shop this week, giving a distinctively Christmasy aroma to the 550-square-foot space. Not to be outdone by bigger retailers, Keehn had put a white Christmas tree up as well.

Keehn, 58, said her three biggest considerations when picking which merchandise to sell is that it be of good quality, affordable and made in the United States. She tries to offer “medium prices.”

“I’m middle class,” she said. “I only carry what I can afford to buy.”

The shop’s small amount of storage space means the inventory changes frequently. Keehn is also an antiquer, “so there’s always going to be a few old items” she has found and wants to resell. This week, they included an old wooden baby chair in what appeared to be excellent shape.

Purses, scarves, hats, necklaces and more jewelry fill out a room devoted to women’s wear. Keehn said Vocal and Cactus Bay are two popular brands of ladies tops that she carries, adding that she carries plenty of plus-size options because women “can’t find cute stuff in those sizes” in many stores.

She sells greeting cards and keeps a small stash of gift bags and wrapping paper under the cash register for social emergencies.

“I try to be the neighborhood place if somebody needs a gift real quick,” she said.

In good weather, she hopes to use the sidewalk facing busy 13th Street for sales and small crafts fairs.

Keehn might not be where she is today without that fateful hair appointment, but the “fluke” suits her fine.

“I just kind of fell it into and it kind of came natural,” she said. “It must be meant to be.”

This story was originally published November 11, 2015 at 2:19 PM with the headline "Wichita woman buys boutique after complaining that it was never open."