Josten says goodbye to her ‘second home’—Bridge Street Boutique

By Willis Patenaude, Times-Register

If you walk past the storefronts on Main Street in Elkader, there’s a chance Kathy Josten worked there, though it was probably something different back then, having either changed locations or owners over the years. It’s that same passage of time that led Kathy to make a hard decision, one that was rattling around in her mind for the past few years, but the time just didn’t feel right.

That was, until this past April, when a Facebook post appeared on the Facebook page for Bridge Street Boutique & Gifts, which Kathy owns, that was trying to get ahead of the rumor mill. In that post, Kathy announced her retirement and that her time as owner of the boutique would be over at the end of the summer. The future of the business remained undecided.

The post was met with an overwhelming response from the community, with heartwarming expressions and an innumerable amount of well-wishes—a thankful appreciation for what Kathy and the boutique have meant to them as individuals, as well as the community, over the last 14 years. 

The outpouring of compliments likely wasn’t anticipated when Kathy arrived in Elkader in 1988 with her husband Ed and one child at the time. What was supposed to be a temporary stay turned into the next year and the next after that. After a time, Elkader turned into a place they “didn’t want to leave.”

Kathy’s odyssey to boutique ownership started at a floral shop and greenhouse located on the highway, before she was chosen to run a secondhand store, Treasures from the Heart, established by Rise in the mid-1990s to give them a larger presence in the community at the time. The store was located where Birdies now stands. 

While working there, Kathy came up with the idea to put in a few gifts, and eventually, what started out as a secondhand store also became a gift shop.

Gifts and working retail are two things Kathy “just loves.” They both fit into the fact she is a self-admitted “born shopper.” So, when she went to work for the Backstitch in 2002, which at the time was located over Wilke’s grocery store, it was only natural she thought “we could put some gifts in here.” 

The store started selling folk art, primitive art, and quilt type gifts because, where some people saw an empty space, Kathy saw a place for gifts.

She also saw a vision for something more when a trip to visit family in Tennessee extended to a drive to Georgia for the Atlanta Market, the premier gift, décor and lifestyle market. As Kathy traversed the seven million square feet, she saw clothing and accessories—items that weren’t being sold in town at the time—and thought, “my gosh, we can really do something with that!”

The idea sat somewhat idle while Kathy searched for a bigger space—a space for her gift shop vision—but it was slow going. Until the flood of 2008 changed the course of history on Bridge Street.

That string of stores was empty at the time, but with the flood devastating most of the downtown, the owner began allowing people to move into the empty spaces, including a lawyer, the eye clinic, a beauty shop and Kathy. The first thing Kathy did was formulate a plan and then hit the road for the Atlanta Market, signing the lease over the phone on the way. 

It was the beginning of the boutique, which originally focused on women’s and baby clothing, but has steadily evolved with the times and trends. Kathy keeps abreast of them all by going to the markets, spending countless hours on the internet, going through catalogues, listening to customers and, sometimes, just talking to her high school employees, who are typically up-to-date on the latest trends.

But, like most trends, all things come to an end, and Kathy will be saying “goodbye” to Bridge Street Boutique, a place where she spent an incalculable amount of hours and the last 14 years creating and filling spaces with gifts. It’s a place that became like a “second home” with a “second little work family.” 

Of course, back in 2010, when Kathy opened with a little help from her friends Sue Stott and Penni Leonard, getting to 2024 probably felt like a lifetime away.

Reaching 14 years is as much about the boutique offering items people want as it is about the people who work there, all influenced by the kindness and jovial spirit of Kathy, who worked to create an atmosphere where “people could come and feel good.” 

The boutique prides itself on being a fun experience where customers are greeted by smiles and courteous staff who will listen, even providing some “retail therapy” if the moment calls for it.

It’s the kind of place that leaves a legacy and  had customers flocking to the boutique over the summer because they “had to come in one last time.” One city council member exclaimed, “we can’t have you closing,” and for a time, it looked like Kathy’s “happy place” might go the way of the big plastic jewelry that once populated the store when it was popular, and be gone.

Fortunately for Kathy, that would not be the case. Two days after her initial Facebook post, Kathy received a message from Susan Glawe inquiring about purchasing the business. It was a fortuitous moment. Even though Kathy was set to retire, she hoped someone would come along and continue what she “worked so hard to build.” 

That someone had arrived.

Over the course of several meetings, Kathy “had a good feeling” about Susan and saw some similarities between the two, like a love of gift shops. The next few months brought them closer together, working in the store, with Kathy teaching Susan about the business, and even offering to stay on for a while during the transition.

“I fully expect Susan to make additions and changes to the boutique over time. That’s the beauty of small independent retail. It will be fun to see what she does and I have no doubt that it will be great,” Kathy said.

As Kathy exits, leaving her “home away from home,” she called the moment “bittersweet,” while acknowledging there’s no other place she would’ve rather spent the last 14 years than in Elkader. Now, her attention will shift to long-abandoned hobbies like reading a book other than a catalogue, painting, needle work, gardening and maybe even some traveling.

In retirement, Kathy will always miss being at the boutique, as well as the customers, employees and the place she would go to relax, even if it was two in the morning. Now, she can hand over the reigns knowing she built what she set out to build, a destination shopping experience. 

This is part one in a series about the change in ownership at Bridge Street Boutique. An upcoming article will highlight Susan Glawe and her plans for the business.