A Store That Knows Your Name
Most stores know you by a number — a loyalty card, a phone number or a purchase history buried in a database. At Brianne’s Boutique, somebody knows your name — and probably knows what you’re looking for before you do.
Sara Brianne Slaughter likens it to seeing a friend in each customer.
“We view you as a best friend walking into our home. A best friend we haven’t seen in a month,” Slaughter says.
That intentional relationship-building approach is something Slaughter absorbed over a lifetime while watching her mother, Teresa Dillard, build a successful store on the same stretch of State Road 135 for nearly four decades. In the age of e-commerce and retail giants, it’s the kind of neighborly, corner-store experience that’s increasingly rare.
Homegrown and Relationship-Driven
Back in 1989, Slaughter’s mother purchased a small Hallmark store from its original owner and grew it into one of the largest Hallmark stores in the country. Slaughter grew up inside it. When the duo opened Brianne’s Boutique together in 2011, the same instincts that built Teresa’s Hallmark became the foundation for Brianne’s Boutique.
“We’ve created a culture based on treating people right,” says Slaughter. “It’s heartfelt. It’s not a box you check off.”
Customers who grew up in the area still talk about visiting the Hallmark store as children for Beanie Babies,
Webkinz and whatever that year’s must-have item happened to be.
“They have these core memories of visiting our store,” Slaughter says.
Now she and Dillard are working to create the same experience at Brianne’s Boutique — new traditions for a new generation of families and reasons to visit that go beyond a transaction.
That culture shows up in the details.
Since day one, the store has recorded customer names on receipts — not phone numbers, not loyalty card numbers, but names. When Brianne’s Boutique moved into its new, larger space this spring, the idea of switching to a more conventional identifier was discussed. The staff quickly rejected the idea.
“They said, ‘How are we supposed to know who our customers are if we switch?’” Slaughter says.
So the names stayed.
That attentiveness extends well beyond the sales floor. When staff members learn a customer is experiencing a difficult time, they often reach out with cards, bereavement gifts or a phone call.
“I can’t think of another store that even knows my first name,” Slaughter says, “let alone one that would send me a note because the last time I came in, I was having a bad day.”
New Space, Same Feel
Brianne’s new location, formerly home to Teresa’s Hallmark for decades, represents a significant expansion. The 7,000-square-foot store features seven dressing rooms, dedicated shop-in-shop spaces for popular brands and an upstairs event space planned for fashion shows, workshops and seasonal displays.
To Slaughter, the details matter.
“I spent two and a half hours in our dressing rooms yesterday. They are so beautiful and comfortable. We want you to feel good when you’re trying on clothes,” she says.
Slaughter intentionally seeks out brands with limited local distribution. Shoppers will find names such as Brighton, Hammitt, Kendra Scott, Tribal and Judy Blue alongside newer discoveries she sources each season.
While many of those brands can also be found online, customers continue to shop in person.
“Customers also want to support us because we support them,” Slaughter says.
Worth the Drive
Shopping at Brianne’s often feels like a gathering of old friends. Regulars run into each other in the aisles. Strangers help one another in fitting rooms. People linger.
“It’s almost like an event when you come shopping because you get to see your friends,” Slaughter says.
Building that kind of environment has always been the goal.
A 2005 Center Grove High School graduate, Slaughter has long been rooted on the south side. She and Dillard used to drive north on weekends to shop because that’s where the best stores were. To Slaughter, that always felt like a gap worth filling.
“I think Brianne’s is good for the community,” she says. “There haven’t been a lot of options down here.”
Brianne’s Boutique celebrates 15 years in September, and the next chapter is already underway.
Later this fall, Slaughter and her husband, Jacob, will open Collier Outfitters next door — a men’s clothing and gift store designed to complement Brianne’s.
The concept is simple: park once and shop twice.
“A lot of couples shop with us, making us part of their Saturday morning routine,” Slaughter says. “They get coffee, run errands, and Brianne’s is one of their stops. Now the husband can shop next door.”
For Slaughter, the new space, expanded brand selection and addition of Collier Outfitters are all part of a deliberate effort to create something the south side hasn’t had before — a homegrown, multigenerational shopping destination that can’t easily be replicated.
“We have everything you’re looking for,” she says. “This is a destination that’s worth the drive.”
Brianne’s Boutique is located at 49 N. State Road 135 in Greenwood and online at briannesboutique.com.
