The Port Aransas Boutique You Have to Visit
We are proud to introduce our newest series, We Are Port A. Over the next few months, we will be spotlighting local Port A establishments that are truly remarkable both in the products and services they offer and how they persevere through hardships like Hurricane Harvey.
First up is Indigo Eclectic, a coastal boutique that brings back the beauty and style of the 1970s.
Walking through the doors of Indigo Eclectic feels like stepping into a cool 1970s beach home. Flowing caftans hang on racks along the wall while a zebra striped rug sits underneath a rattan coffee table topped with travel books and small eccentricities. Further back, the store is filled with vintage textiles and furniture like a Moroccan tea table, Indian rugs, rattan baskets, mid-century chairs, blue and white porcelain vases, and a table of handmade brass jewelry. For anyone looking to add eclectic flair to their Port Aransas beach home or give new life to an antique, this is the place to be.
Owner Roxie Blanchette opened Indigo Eclectic in April 2016 after moving here from San Antonio. She was no stranger to Port Aransas, though—she and her sister, Lisa Amundsen (who happens to be the co-owner of Lisabella’s here at Cinnamon Shore), grew up visiting their grandmother’s second home here every summer. Roxie remembers shopping for swimsuits in the ’70s at two former local boutiques: The Sandpiper and Things. That’s where her love for coastal fashion began.
“My grandmother is the inspiration for a lot of this,” Roxie says. “She was the one going to the Sandpiper and Things in the old ‘60s and ‘70s resort clothes. To me, resort wear is the most glamorous you can get without being black tie.”
After owning her first business for 18 years—an employment screening company that helped place people with criminal histories in jobs—Roxie found that her creative side wasn’t being fulfilled in the ways she’d hoped. She decided to channel that energy and love for coastal style into opening Indigo Eclectic, her first business of this kind. Here, she sells antique furniture and stylish coastal apparel. She loves the history that comes with antiques. “Lighting is a big thing for me,” Roxie says. “I love to think that a lamp from the early ‘50s or ‘60s lived this whole life until it met me.”
When it comes to the items she carries at Indigo Eclectic, Roxie takes cues from her grandmother’s personal style, which included a lot of American mid-century and Moroccan influences. Indigo Eclectic includes both of those styles, with a splash of Spanish and Asian pieces as well. As a self-proclaimed flea market fanatic, she finds many of her store’s items from antique shops and estate sales across the state, which means they are often completely one-of-a-kind. One of Roxie’s best friends, Stacey Hill, also helps stock the store with one-of-a-kind items from her travels.
Roxie is philanthropic at heart and feels a calling to support emerging artists. Her favorite brands are all purpose-driven—like a leather bag line she carries that employs at-risk women in the United States. She carries a jewelry line that supports craftswomen in India, while one of her apparel lines based out of California hand dyes all of their fabrics. That line in particular speaks to Roxie’s love of indigo (her favorite color) and the craftsmanship of dying clothing and textiles using natural colors. Her staple Indigo Sandal is made by a man out of California who has been crafting them by hand since 1974. “If I’m going to have items that mean anything, it’s going to have to sow back into something—whether that means supporting a lost art or helping another person,” Roxie says. “I could easily carry something like Free People, but I really wanted to work with artists who are truly inspired to make something, and they’re often doing it out of their own house.”
Like many local business in Port Aransas, Indigo Eclectic was deeply affected by Hurricane Harvey. After the storm, the store was filled with 2 1/2 feet of mud, grass and debris, along with some of her most precious finds. While some of her favorite items were lost, she gained a truly special piece: the checkout desk her husband Kelly Blanchette built her by surprise. The white wooden desk was crafted by hand, and two backlit shelves with splashes of indigo were added to reflect the brand and her love of the dye. “If there’s another hurricane, this is coming with us,” she says.
The Port Aransas community is what kept Roxie going and made her decide to reopen despite the damage. “I thought about not even opening again after the storm because it was so devastating, but I was getting so many emails from my customers that said ‘Just open and we’ll come,’” Roxie says. “It’s weird to say this, but I don’t know that I’d wish that storm away. The community has been so supportive of each other, and everyone who has opened has come back better.”
The store officially reopened this past April, and thanks to her loyal customers, she feels like she hasn’t missed a beat. As for the future of Indigo Eclectic, Roxie plans to keep inspiring her customers with timeless, eclectic style. “I want people to walk in to my store and have a little bit of a blast from the past, but to also be inspired about revamping their own home.”
If you’re looking to spice up your beach home or bring back a one-of-a-kind item from Port Aransas, we highly recommend you visit Roxie at Indigo Eclectic. The shop is located next to Coffee Waves, and is open Monday - Saturday, 10:30am to 5pm and Sunday from 10:30am to 3pm.
Published on Thursday, July 12, 2018