Boutique

Burberry flagship boutique on Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan

A Hermès boutique in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong

A boutique (French: [butik] ) is a retail shop that deals in high end fashionable clothing or accessories. ^[1] The word is French for "shop", which derives ultimately from the Ancient Greek ἀποθήκη (apothēkē) "storehouse". ^{[2] [3]}

Some multi-outlet businesses (chain stores) can be referred to as boutiques if they target small, upscale niche markets. ^[4] Although some boutiques specialize in hand-made items and other unique products, others simply produce T-shirts, stickers, and other fashion accessories in artificially small runs and sell them at high prices.

History

Since antiquity, a boutique has been a ground-floor space opening onto the street, used for storing and displaying the goods sold there. Many boutiques also featured a back room, reserved for related operations. Traditionally, the shopfront was rarely equipped with glass windows and was instead closed with wooden shutters. These shutters were divided into two sections: the lower panel folded down to serve as a counter or display shelf for products, while the upper panel lifted upward, acting as a canopy. In the evening, the shutters were closed and secured with iron bars. Above the lintel supporting the upper shutters, a small glazed transom allowed natural light to enter the interior. At that time, purchases were typically made directly on the street. ^[5]

Merchants engaged in the same type of trade were often located along the same street, leading to the formation of specialized marketplaces. Over time, this clustering of similar businesses gave rise to street names derived from the predominant trade, such as Tannerie (for tanners) or Huchette (linked to a specific commercial activity). ^[6]

See also

• Retail format § Concept store
• Boutique hotel
• Types of advertising agencies
• Types of retail outlets

References

1. "boutique". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary . Merriam-Webster. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
2. "boutique". Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on May 14, 2020.
3. Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert. "ἀποθήκη". A Greek-English Lexicon. Perseus.
4. "Starting a Boutique Business". Jalingo.co. Retrieved August 23, 2015.
5. Historic Shops – A Key Element of Future Regeneration
6. Historic Shops