Longtime Glen Rockers Open Borough Boutique

The choice of location for Verdi Blu was simple for owner Lori Craft.

After a year of online sales and “pop-up” events around the tri-state area, the 18-year Glen Rock resident teamed up this fall with Jessica Miele, who has resided in the borough a decade, to open a boutique in the borough's central business district.

“I’d built enough of a reputation that people were going to the website from outside the area,” Craft said. “But I also knew that Glen Rock needed something.”

That something, she said, is the eclectic inventory at Verdi Blu of home goods, men’s and women’s accessories and jewelry, all carefully selected by the longtime residents.

Craft, who previously worked in corporate retail before taking a break to raise two pairs of twins, handpicks her “lifestyle brand” collection from roughly 80 vendors, many of them regional.

“I’m very picky,” said Craft. “I’m really careful about the things I curate, and I buy the best from those vendors.”

The boutique’s curated collection includes customizable items, done in-house to add monograms to canvas bags, cell phone cases, jewelry plates and other merchandise.

The personal touch is a big benefit of the move from website sales to a permanent location in the heart of Glen Rock, Craft said. Though not an interior designer by profession, she offers local home visits for an hourly rate to help customers find the right match between her collection and the style of their individual houses.

“If you feel you’ve had your house the same for five years, I can go in and help you refresh it without spending a lot,” she said.