After serving on the board of the High Country Women’s Fund for several years, Elena Romagni and her business partner Jan Winkler decided to give back to the organization in their own way.

“The women’s fund is something that Jan and I are obviously passionate about, so when we saw the opportunity to bring a new establishment to Boone that would benefit the women and children that we feel so strongly about, we knew we had to pursue it,” Romagni said.

It was this kind of passion that drove Romagni and Winkler to open ReDeux Boutique, an upscale consignment boutique located in the Boone Heights shopping center, this past June.

Romagni and Winkler hoped to open the shop sooner, but the High Country Women’s Fund recently merged with the Appalachian Women’s Fund to create the Women’s Fund of the Blue Ridge, or WFBR, which ultimately prolonged the process.

“We first proposed the idea of the shop to our fellow board members last year, but High Country Women’s Fund was going to merge with Appalachian business fund so the timing was poor,” Romagni said.

For every item donated to the ReDeux Boutique, 50 percent of the proceeds of that item will go back to the newly merged WFBR.

“If an item is consigned, then 45 percent of the proceeds will go to the seller, and 55 percent of the proceeds will go to the shop,” Romagni said. “But, if an item is donated, then 50 percent of the proceeds will go to the women’s fund and 50 will go to the shop. We try to get people to donate as much as possible, and so far we have raised about $1,800 for the fund.”

Karen Sabo, executive director for WFBR, said the boutique has already been an excellent resource for the Women’s Fund.

“Our organization helps women and children here locally in Watauga County, but we also include surrounding counties in our grants including Avery, Ashe, Mitchell and Yancey,” Sabo said. “It is really great to have Redeux supporting the organization, and as an outlet for local women who may not have the clothes they need to utilize.”

Anna Banana’s Consignment on King Street also donates 50 percent of proceeds from donated items to WFBR, and has started working with ReDeux Boutique to appropriately distribute clothes, Sabo said.

“Anna Banana’s and ReDeux Boutique are tailored to different consumers,” she said. “ReDeux Boutique is more high-end than Anna Banana’s, so if one of them receives clothes that would be better suited at the other store, they will send the sellers to that store. Both stores are run beautifully, and we’re very lucky to have their partnerships.”

Story: Madison Barlow, Intern News Reporter