Arktana Women’s Clothing and Shoe Boutique celebrated a grand opening event on July 12, but right next door a men’s clothing and shoe boutique is making progress to open in August. Arktana Women’s Clothing and Shoe Boutique owner Ann Matthews and her husband, Bill, are now preparing for an April 1 soft opening of their neighboring business, Bigfoot Mountain Outfitters, which will have a grand opening event Aug. 19.
At the Arktana Women’s Clothing & Shoe Boutique grand opening, Matthews’ daughter, Holly, handed out 100 swag bags that were gone within the first 45 minutes.
Ann Matthews said the store had drawn a large number of new customers, which has surprised her since their nearest store is in the nearby unincorporated area of Felida.
“So [it’s] definitely a brand new market out here, which I’m very excited about,” she said. “I was a little worried that this might ‘cannibalize the fly’ of that location a little bit, which doesn’t seem to be happening.”
So far, the selection of clothing has received zero complaints from the customers of Ridgefield which is a sign of Matthews being in the industry with the Arktana name for almost 10 years. Initially, from 2014 to 2019, Arktana specialized in shoes, handbags and jewelry but expanded to clothing at customers’ request.
“So, that’s where the clothing came on board, and I think in that amount of time we really kind of figured out the mix because we’re trying to meet them in their lifestyle,” Matthews said. “So, we want them to be able to dress for the weekend. We want them to be able to dress for work, and we don’t do suiting, and we won’t in the inside either, but we can take care of a dressier wardrobe down to a very casual wardrobe.”
With Bigfoot Mountain Outfitters opening soon next door, the two similarly sized stores will offer a “his and hers” boutique experience. Currently, the men’s clothing and shoes are starting to pile into the backroom. When open, the store will feature everything from branded unisex sweatshirts from Dri Duck, both in black and saddle coloration, to cowboy boots from Roper.
“So, we’ll open the store with all fall (apparel),” Matthews said. “There’ll be maybe the tiny bit of leftover from summer just to give some people some ‘buy now, wear now.’”
She said the store will have a “manly feel,” from the lighting to a gray brick wall to even an 8-foot tall Bigfoot silhouette on the back wall.
“We also made the decision to put a quite substantial accessory section in this store, and this is going to be things like carabiners, tie-down straps, phone accessories, pocket knives, keychain type of gadgets,” Matthews explained, adding it will feature the “kind of stuff that the guys like [and] gives them something fun.”
Matthews said she is excited to sell Costa sunglasses, which include the company’s polarized shades for fishing. Bigfoot Mountain Outfitters will sell waterproof bags ideal for boating, hiking and other uses, Matthews said.
Matthews said her husband, Bill, has wanted to open his own store for some time after he noticed a shortage of stores focused on men. He said “let’s just really give the guys something cool,” she recalled.
A stylist team will be available at the men’s store to advise buyers on clothing that would best fit them if desired.
“We have A-plus diamond retail sales people. I mean they’re very experienced, many of them sold men’s (clothes) before,” Matthews said. “The guys are going to come in and have a great experience. They’re going to have experienced stylists that can work with them if they want to or just come in and not have any help, that’s fine, too. But if they’re ready for us to throw them in a fitting room and really help them find out what’s going to fit, and if they’ll let us help them, we’re there for that.”
For more information, go to bigfootmountainoutfitters.com or on Instagram. Learn more at arktana.com or across social media, or call 360-210-4077. Arktana is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., seven days a week, at 4312 S. Settler Drive, suite 100, in Ridgefield. Arktana also operates two other locations in Felida and Camas.
