Ten years ago, Linda Martin was wrapping up her corporate career and thinking about opening a little dress shop in Pennington. Martin, then a group vice president of human resources for Macy’s, even checked out a spot at 20 S. Main St. that looked like it would be a good place to start a new chapter in her career.
Before she could take things further, she got a call from a friend who worked for The Children’s Place. They were taking over operations for Disney retail stores and wanted Martin to aid in the transition. It was supposed to be a six-week engagement, but six weeks turned into six years. Even then, she still dreamed of opening a boutique.
A friend of a friend had asked Martin to help her open a dress shop in Pennington — coincidentally, in the same place she had scouted years before. She was happy to do it. When the woman suddenly up and moved to Los Angeles, Martin seized her opportunity. She assumed the lease and opened Flutter Boutique, now a fashion mainstay in the heart of town, in April 2012.
Martin and her husband, John, a retired state trooper, have lived in Ewing since 1987. But from 1981 to 1987, they lived in Pennington. The town was sleepier then, but she always saw it as a potential place for her boutique. “I could have opened a store in Princeton and had a lot more walk-by traffic,” she said. “But this is a destination. Pennington’s heart and soul is family.”
Martin says from the beginning, she knew she wanted Flutter to be a store where women could find stylish but affordable clothes. She doesn’t try to appeal to any specific age group when deciding what to feature in the shop. In fact, she says, many of her customers are mothers and daughters shopping together.
“Maybe the daughter has heard that we have great dresses for the prom,” she said. “Her mom will come with her and realize that we have things that she likes. Soon they’re both our customers.”
Martin’s parents both died in the 10 months before she opened. “My mother wasn’t a fashion person, but she did like to look stylish,” Martin said. “When I see mothers and daughters shopping together, it brings back nice memories.”
Martin, on the other hand, always was into fashion. When she was 13, she and friend sneaked into New York by train to see style icon Mary Quant at Macy’s. After she won a dance contest that earned her a free Mary Quant dress, Martin had to confess to the secret excursion. Her mother was forgiving, but told her never to do it again.
“I remember being in the handbag department and saying to my friend Patti, ‘I am going to work at Macy’s someday,’” she said. “And eventually my office was there in Herald Square.”
Martin started as an assistant manager at Bamberger’s in Menlo Park Mall. Bamberger’s then was a part of Macy’s. She rose through the ranks to become an executive in the personnel end of the business. Among her responsibilities was helping to recruit more women into management positions.
“I was very fortunate,” she said. “I worked in retailing, where there were more opportunities for women. That said, even after I left that world 42 years later, there were still very few top-level execs who were women. Often, I was the only woman sitting at a table of suits.”
She hopes that Flutter inspires women who are thinking of opening a shop to give their dreams a chance to become reality. “I opened Flutter at 62. It’s never too late,” she said. “I want women to see that the store is still open after four years, when a lot of small businesses don’t last that long. Not a week goes by that a woman doesn’t ask me how to get a business like this started.”
Martin is also committed to the community. She’s a board member for the charity Christine’s Hope For Kids, and Flutter has done several events for Homefront, the Lawrence-based organization that provides temporary shelter for homeless families, including Girls’ Night In, where residents get to “shop” from among racks of dresses donated by Flutter and Flutter customers.
As a buyer, Martin says she follows her instincts. Eighty percent of what is in the store is what she would personally wear, she said, but even if it’s not something she would wear, it has to be something she would love on someone else. Selecting the merchandise each season allows her to reveal her creative side.
“As long as I can remember, I’ve always loved fashion,” she said. “If you have the desire for artistic outlet, eventually you’re going to suffocate if you don’t let it out.”
,
