New boutique, Wild Thistle, opens in Havre

Business owner Katybeth "Katy" Courtnage recently celebrated the grand opening of her shop, Wild Thistle Boutique, in Havre.

"It went really good. We had the (Havre Area Chamber of Commerce) down here, we did a ribbon cutting and then we were open until 6 p.m., and it was pretty busy all day. So we did really good," Courtnage said.

Located at 323 Second St. in Havre across the street from Cottonwood Cinema 4 in the south side of the Pizza Pro building, the business' goal is to empower women to be themselves and show confidence through their wardrobe.

Store advertising says the boutique carries the newest trends in fashion for the everyday woman without the expensive price tag.

Wild Thistle offers apparel, accessories and shoes. Business hours are 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m Saturdays.

After originally going to school in Montana for elementary education, Cortnage decided to relocate and attend the College of Southern Idaho, where she earned her associate degree in business.

Courtnage was working for a manufacturing plant as an assistant controller during this time, but always had the idea of opening her own clothing boutique in mind.

Courtnage said on her website that each of her three siblings have opened successful businesses.

Following discussions with her family, Courtnage followed her siblings' lead in 2017, originally starting Wild Thistle as an online business.

She came coming up with the idea for the business during her family's annual week-long trip to Glacier National Park.

"So, I started online, doing Facebook selling and doing a lot of pop-ups and vendor markets in Idaho. And a lot of my customer base actually was over the internet with Havre people, and so when I would come back home for holiday visits, I would do pop-ups," Courtnage said.

Courtnage said she received positive feedback and knew she had a customer base in Havre. She had been in the process of opening a storefront in Idaho before those plans were put on hold for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

After living in Idaho for nine years, she said, with the pandemic bringing those initial plans to a standstill, it felt like the right time to return home to Montana. She said she always knew she'd return; it was just a matter of when, and that turned out to be October 2020.

"I had a little bit of worry, but seeing that we're at the tail end (of the pandemic), and the mask mandate went away and people are starting to come out from, you know, being secluded in their homes and stuff, I thought, you know, might as well, you never know," Courtnage said.

"I had a lot of great feedback during my grand opening," she added. "A lot of women were excited just to have somewhere new to shop. I know there's a couple other boutiques in town, but it's always exciting when there's something new. And I am from Havre, so I had all that, you know, the support, the people knew me because I grew up here so it's good to give back I guess."

Courtnage said she is very proud to have her family involved.

"I put a lot of heart into my boutique. Everything in here we made, my family and I made all by hand," she said. "Every step of the way, I had my family behind me, so it's more of like a family thing that we did and then I like to cater to what the people in Havre want." 

Courtnage said she's gotten feedback about what people are looking for in regard to styles, clothes and sizes and she's gotten feedback that she has exactly what people are looking for.

"I am hoping to be open for a long time and to continue to, you know, serve the community that I grew up in and hopefully to help the downtown get back, you know, growing and get back on its feet because a lot of things have had to shut down," Courtnage said.

"We do have our Fourth of July collection coming out," she added. "Hopefully, this week, we'll have a bunch of stuff for Fourth of July to wear, and then, you know, when the fair season comes out, we'll have some specials for then, too."

Additionally, in a June 18 Facebook post, Wild Thistle Boutique announced it is in search of local models to showcase its items. Model photos will be posted to the Wild Thistle Botique Facebook page. 

Potential models are asked to send or bring in a picture showing their personality and style along with a brief write-up. People are encouraged to send the business a Facebook message or stop by during business hours. 

Customers will soon be able to shop online as http://www.wildthistleboutique.com is currently under construction. Courtnage said Wild Thistle Boutique is a member of the Havre Area Chamber of Commerce and accepts Chamber gift certificates.