Customers will find unique and one of a kind fashions for women at The Queen’s Chamber.Photo courtesy of The Queen’s Chamber
North Ridgeville – A lifelong dream of opening her own business was born out of an unimaginable family tragedy. And on February 14, a new shop will open in North Ridgeville that serves as a beacon of love for family and love for community.
The Queen’s Chamber will open in on Center Ridge Road in North Ridgeville, owned by proprietor and creator Aiesha Gardner. Originally from the Detroit area, Garnder has been living in the area for the past 20 years and in that same amount of time, has been harboring a desire to open her own business.
The business was an outgrowth of Gardener’s love and passion for working with her hands and creating. An avid sewer and clothing maker, Gardner created The Queen’s Chamber as a boutique shop where women can find one of a kind clothing creations, helping them to look and feel their best.
The concept of the shop started in 2019, when Gardner started to participate in pop up types of opportunities, where she could showcase her wares. She continued to work a regular, full-time job, but would do as many pop-up shops and vendor shows as possible, while also taking care of her grandmother. It was her caregiving that finally caused Gardner to pause the boutique passion as she admitted to herself there are only so many hours in the day.
But, when tragedy struck her family and her 17-year-old son was killed, that incident became a catalyst for her to reignite her passion for the boutique and begin the search to finally open an actual brick and mortar shop.
Customers will find unique and one of a kind fashions for women at The Queen’s Chamber.Photo courtesy of The Queen’s Chamber
“I said I wanted to pick things back up and I felt like it was time to jump out there and do it,” Gardner said. “I had the chance and the opportunity to do it. I found a space in North Ridgeville to open up and I met with the owners to talk about my vision and what I was looking to do, and they were very supportive. It’s close to home, and North Ridgeville is just such a wonderful community.”
The Queen’s Chamber will have clothing and fashion boutique items, but will also feature creations from several other vendors and small businesses who are, similar to Gardner, trying to showcase their products but aren’t yet able to open a full shop of their own.
“I know what it was like starting off, and it is not easy when you have all these products and you don’t have the actual space right,” Gardner said. “So, I want to offer opportunities for other small business owners who are doing pop up shops like I was.
“I had so many people reach out to me, so it’s something that I definitely am going to do throughout the year,” she continued. “So many folks are just wanting the opportunity to showcase their products, and that gives me the push to give them that opportunity.”
Garnder said it was important to her, when she opened her own shop, to give these other folks an opportunity as well. The shop will carry various fashion accessories, body care products and something that may be a bit of a twist – a travel agency.
Gardner is a licensed travel agent and while women are picking out the latest fashion and accessories for the beach, she can actually help them get there in style.
“I’ll get them a great deal on a trip,” Gardner smiled. “And, make sure they look good while they’re there.”
And, Gardner said the business is going to be open to cater to busy folks who are working during the day, meaning her shop will open at 6 p.m. and go until 10 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. On Saturday, she expects the shop to run a more expected 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. slot. The shop will be closed Tuesdays and Sundays, at least for now, Gardner said.
She said she also expects to have several promotions throughout the year.