Former NASCAR driver opens unique boutique at Greenwood Mall

Cristen Friddell

Dacia Boise, a sophomore at Vanderbilt University, fingered a pale purple scarf at Apricot Lane’s grand opening today.

“It’s so soft,” she said. “I love the purple.”

But Boise isn’t the only one reaching for that color this season.

“Purple is really in,” said Apricot Lane’s manager Michelle Payne

Louisville freshman Katie Meers worked at the Louisville Apricot Lane before transferring to work at the Bowling Green store.

“It’s been hectic,” she said. “We have been really busy.”

Meers said that working for Apricot Lane is more than just a job to her; it’s a passion.

“This is my life,” she said. “I’ll end up opening my own boutique.”

Payne said she was surprised at the amount of business the store received on its first day.

“This has been so much more than we expected,” she said.

Owner Deborah Renshaw imports most of the fashions for the store from Los Angeles.

She is a former NASCAR driver.

Renshaw said she was inspired to open a boutique after watching the family businesses in her family grow.

Other favorites this season are straight leg jeans, flash neck shirts, wrap headbands and jeggings, she said.

Boise, a Nashville resident, said she and her friends were visiting Kentucky for the weekend, enjoying their fall break and catching up on some shopping.

“Every time we come back,” she said. “We will be in this store.”