By: Jacqueline Gonzalez Photos by: Lillian Reitz
Walking through the doors of Indigo Eclectic, guests are greeted by vintage and retro-inspired flair, plenty of color, and a friendly atmosphere. The shop, filled with beautiful coastal resort apparel and accessories, offers visitors a grand selection of one-of-a-kind items unique to the Port Aransas area.
Owner Roxanna Blanchette felt that her creative talents were not being challenged at her previous job, so after moving to the Coastal Bend from San Antonio in 2010, she decided to channel her energy into opening her boutique. In 2016, Indigo Eclectic became the newest attraction in one of her favorite locations: Port Aransas.
Growing up, Port Aransas made an impression on Blanchette every time she visited her grandmother’s coast house. She recalls visiting Things and The Sandpiper, two boutiques that inspired her love of vintage, coastal, and classic resort apparel, and thought it would be fun to bring that style back to Port Aransas. Taking inspiration from the styles of the ’60s and ’70s, Blanchette began searching antique shops and estate sales across the state to secure the gems that fill each shelf, table, wall, and rack.
Over time, the inspiration for her boutique grew from resort apparel, coastal vintage, retro, Mid-century modern, and bohemian-inspired items to include more accent furniture and a men’s department … but she would require more space to house these items. When she originally opened the boutique, she discovered that commercial spaces don’t open up quite often in Port Aransas, so she jumped at the chance when a location became available. When the need for extra space presented itself, she was fortunate enough to find another location in close proximity, giving her another 600 square feet to encompass her new items.
When deciding which items to feature in her shop, Blanchette has one rule of thumb: Each item has to be something she doesn’t mind owning herself, so each piece has her 100 percent stamp of approval. Rather than housing mostly mass-produced items, she focuses on up-and-coming designers who are just breaking into the world of fashion and who may not be well known yet.
Blanchette also has a philanthropic nature, so she loves to stumble on purpose-driven lines that allow her to support that love while bringing unique items to the community. “Usually, once these items are gone, they’re gone for good. It’s kind of a neat thing and it keeps the store fresh,” she says.
For now, Blanchette only operates from her brick-and-mortar location, although she occasionally sells items on Instagram and ships them to customers. One thing is for sure – she has a steady flow of customers every day! Tourists love to stop by her shop to take in everything Port Aransas has to offer, but locals and vacation homeowners form her loyal clientele.
Anyone who walks into her shop will be overwhelmed, but in a good way, as their eyes are pulled in multiple directions by the wide array of gorgeous items. “There’s a lot to look at,” says Blanchette. “I think guests are expecting beachy items, but they’ll be surprised to find the variety of items we have here.” With the ever-growing selection of one-of-a-kind items, Indigo Eclectic is a must-see shop on your next stop in Port Aransas.
Contact:
1700 SH 361 Suite A • @indigoeclectic
