Jesica Clark and Megan Belveal will hold an open house for their boutique, Thistle and Thread, during Hometown Christmas.
by Holly Allen
Thistle and Thread, formerly an online-only women’s clothing boutique began by Megan Belveal in August 2022, is currently moving into its new home in the old Western Auto building at 407 Sycamore, Valley Falls.
While it won’t yet be completed, Belveal and her friend and partner, Jesica Clark, plan to have the doors of the new storefront open in time for Hometown Christmas this coming Saturday.
“We will be working hard this week to have a functioning business up and running for the town’s big event Nov. 25,” stated Belveal. “We wanted to give everyone a chance to see what we are working on here, and hopefully add to that feeling of bringing Valley Falls back.”
Belveal started Thistle and Thread toward the end of her weight loss journey, when the memory of how miserable going into a boutique used to be for her was fresh in her mind. Oftentimes the boutique stores would not cater toward larger sizes, and she would find herself struggling to find clothes that fit, and leaving embarrassed and with ill-fitting garments.
Determined to ensure other women did not feel that way, she came up with the idea of procuring and selling trendy, comfortable, and affordable clothing online for women “every size beautiful.” She strives to provide clothing which spans the gap between XS to 5X, whenever possible.
Thistle and Thread made its first online sale in September of last year and, since then, has shipped products to more than half the states in the country. Belveal has utilized the year as a trial and error process, learning as she goes the best practices for buying from vendors and selling to clients.
She set a personal policy of only purchasing items shipped from United States vendors. Wanting to keep her products affordable, she has instituted discounts for teachers, cops, EMTs, and those in the customer service industry, among others.
Utilizing social media for marketing, so far she has been able to keep a low overhead, which kept her from thinking overly much about a storefront. However, after setting up a booth at a vendor market in Nortonville last year, the idea of a physical location was planted.
“I had so much fun that day, talking to other women about body and size dysmorphia and insecurity,” she stated. “It felt important that I was able to convey that just because you’re heavy doesn’t mean you can’t feel good in your skin and in what you’re putting on it.”
Once she began to see the benefit of reaching out to people in person, it didn’t take much for Clark, who has been on her own weight loss journey, to convince her of the boutique’s potential in their small town of Valley Falls.
“It just seemed like an endeavor we could take on together,” Clark said. “A journey for us, and one that might provide some benefit to the town, as well.”
The boutique will stock women’s clothing and accessories. There will also be a Spirit Wear section by Turner Designs, Valley Falls, for local team gear.
In stocking the store, they have tried to consider the entire spectrum of size and style of the women who live in the town. They are hopeful everyone will find something curated just for them.
The women have big plans for the future, and are open to where this new venture may lead them.
“When I get overwhelmed with the undertaking, I remind myself that we are doing this together,” stated Belveal. “We’re both ambitious women and we’ve got the grit and desire to see this thing succeed.”
The space is massive, and they have already considered ways to fill it with cozy elements of home and atmosphere. They have also scheduled the first two events to be held in the former hardware store building — a make and take craft night Dec. 6 creating gnome garlands for the holidays, and the first-ever “Little Thistles” children’s business showcase Dec. 16. Youth aged 6-16 are encouraged to attend to display their wares in a kids’ vendor expo.
They already have other ideas for events to be held in January and beyond, utilizing both the storefront and parking lot to create opportunities for the community to gather and partake in.
Both Belveal and Clark have handy, supportive husbands who have helped with everything from electrical work to building a checkout counter for the Thistle and Thread storefront.
Belveal and her husband, Eric, have two sons, Cooper, 14, and Mason, 10. Clark and her husband, Cody, have three kids, Dallas, 21, Samantha, 18, and Colby, 16.
Both families are community-centric, and the hope of their matriarchs is that this endeavor adds something to the town they call home.
“We want to build a comfortable place for folks to stop in, whether to shop or gather for a craft event,” Clark said.
“We’re hoping it becomes a little more than a store,” Belveal adds. “Maybe it can fill that space where the craving for a social aspect lives. Maybe it can give us a sense of community, and of togetherness.”
Though Thistle and Thread’s hours are not yet set in stone, they intend to try and be open six hours a day — possibly noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays. They will also continue to operate the online boutique, which can be found at https://thistleandthreadco.com/.