Business

Personally Yours marks 40 years

MORGANTOWN - Working retail is personal for Shera Lorenze and her daughter Alexis Lorenze Warder.

For that matter, it's personal for Lauren Boczek and Barb Freeman as well.

They are the women behind Personally Yours, a local boutique celebrating 40 years in Morgantown.

It was 1986 and it was a big year for Shera Lorenze. She and Jerry Lorenze were married that summer and a few months later, Shera opened the first iteration of her shop. Personally Yours was originally in the building next to Keglers and was a place to go to order personalized items: baby gifts with embroidered names, monogrammed towels, etched glassware.

Originally from Pennsylvania, Lorenze worked in interior design and knew she wanted to have her own store.

"I started to dabble in hand-painted baby items and those were popular," Lorenze said. "I got more into baby gifts and ladies' clothing. I wanted something people can just come in and buy and not have to order. One thing just led to the next and then the next ..."

After about a dozen years, Lorenze realized she needed more space. The Lorenze family was expanding its footprint with a building behind Suburban Lanes and Keglers, and, in 1998, Personally Yours moved up the hill to a new, bigger space.

Lorenze said she knew there wouldn't be people just walking in up there, but "realized we'd have to make our own traffic." Customers followed them up the hill and the clientele grew.

Lorenze's daughters - Alexis and Alyssa — grew up in the boutique, going there after school and doing their homework in a back room. By 2013, both girls were in college and Lorenze decided she was ready to get out of the retail business. She even had people looking at it to buy.

That changed when Warder made a decision of her own.

Warder told her mom she couldn't sell the store because she wanted it.

"I told her she better get out of elementary education and into business," Lorenze said.

Warder changed her degree and started working in the store between classes and on weekends. Boczek, who already had her degree and was doing marketing for Kegler's and Suburban Lanes, started working in the store about the same time - handling social media, the website and working alongside mom and daughter at the register.

"People don't get how hard it is to keep retail going," Lorenze said. "There were times it was hard to stay afloat. People really supported us."

Lorenze cited two times things got tough and adjustments had to be made: when computers first come on and things went digital and in 2020 when the pandemic shut down much of retail.

By then, Personally Yours had a good online presence and customers would call, explain what they were looking for from the shop. Lorenze, Warder or Boczek would take pictures of what they recommended and customers would make their picks. Those purchases would be wrapped and placed outside the store for pickup.

Even during those difficult times, Lorenze said, they kept taking care of their customers personally.

"I kept the name even after getting away from personalized items because it was established," she said. "I guess it still fits because we still offer personal attention to each customer. We try to be kind to everyone. We are personal to people. People came and bought their children clothes. Now, they are buying for their grandchildren. It's nice to have that longevity."

On a recent Friday, several shoppers were in and out of the store. Some have been customers for decades while others were first-timers who recently moved to town and heard it was a good place to look for items not found in other retail outlets.

Featured collections include Jellycat, enewton, Kendra Scott and Queen of Sparkles. There is also a variety of West Virginia University clothing.

"We try to find something that customers can't find elsewhere," Lorenze said. "I say we are the best-kept secret."

Boczek said many of their offerings are exclusive to Personally Yours. For example, Jellycat is sold only in six locations in the state and nowhere else in Morgantown.

Lorenze still does the books and some ordering for the store and she likes to be there to take care of her long-time customers because she "knows what they like." Plus, it was her baby so she couldn't give it up completely, but she knows her daughter is more than capable.

"What better hands than my daughter's? Sometimes I think she does a better job than I did," Lorenze said. "Then Lauren came aboard and they took the place to a whole different level."

The store is home to Warder, and somewhat, to Boczek as well.

"I love it. It's my life," Warder said. "It's a commitment. You have to be up every day; be happy, be kind."

Plus, Warder said, there aren't as many stores that carry children's clothing anymore and she likes offering that side of fashion.

When Warder had her son about a year ago, she knew an extra set of hands would help. About the same time, Boczek was moving to Indianapolis for a career opportunity. That's when a customer put Lorenze and Warder in touch with Freeman, who worked at Talbot's but had decided to retire.

Freeman calls herself the newest - and oldest - employee.

"I had a customer the other day who said this is her happy place," Freeman said. "It's a fun place to be, a fun place to work. I thought I'd retire, but that didn't work for me. It took me a while to get here but I have no intension to retire now."

Boczek, who now lives in Indiana and is president and managing partner of the Indianapolis Capitols, a summer pro football team in the Continental Football League, has no plans to leave the store either. She returns to Morgantown often and always works a shift or two while here. While out of the area, she still handles the website and social media.

INFOBOX:

Personally Yours

ADDRESS: 5 Suburban Court, Morgantown

HOURS: Monday and Wednesday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; closed Sunday.

PHONE: 304-599-6211

WEB: personallyyourswv.myshopify.com; also, on social media platforms