10/09/2026
From early mornings to late nights… and all the little moments in between. 🤎
Some days I don’t think I even realize how much has changed until I finally stop long enough to take it all in.
My mornings often start early, packaging orders for Rooted & Wild Boutique LLC, getting local deliveries together and making stops on my way to work.
Then it’s a full day of everything else life has going on, followed by evenings spent at The Root Collective Co. , moving things around, organizing inventory, working on renovations and trying to cross just a few more things off that never-ending to-do list.
And lately, I’ve found myself ending those long days doing something that makes my heart so incredibly warm…
Standing outside our building, looking through those big windows and just taking it all in.
The lights glowing.
The clothing hanging on racks.
The denim displayed on old industrial carts.
The vintage furniture we’ve collected finding a whole new purpose.
All those little details I’ve spent months picturing in my head finally coming together.
And for a few minutes, everything gets quiet.
I’m not thinking about the unfinished walls, the projects waiting for us tomorrow or everything we still need to accomplish.
I’m just looking at something that, not that long ago, was nothing more than a vision.
And goodness… what a feeling. 🤎
What’s even crazier is that this isn’t even the finished version!
For those who may not know, Rooted & Wild Boutique is currently set up TEMPORARILY inside what will eventually become the salon at The Root Collective Co.
Our actual boutique space is still waiting for its transformation, and we have plenty of work ahead of us before the salon, studio and boutique are officially complete.
But I didn’t want to wait until everything was perfect to start bringing this old building back to life.
And after hosting our very first Our Fall POP-UP EVENT this week, I’m so glad we didn’t.
Seeing people shopping, enjoying coffee, grabbing something to eat, visiting with friends and supporting other small businesses gave me a glimpse of exactly what I’ve been hoping this place could become.
Because my dream has never been to simply open another salon or boutique.
I want to create a place people WANT to come to.
A place with character, history and personality.
A place where old meets new, where people feel welcome, where friendships are made and where our little community has another reason to come together.
And someday, I hope those benches outside are filled with people enjoying beautiful summer evenings, food trucks, coffee, good company and a little more life on this side of town. 🤎🌿
Because that’s something I’ve envisioned from the very beginning… creating a place that gives people another reason to come together, slow down, support local businesses and simply enjoy being part of our little community.
And I would absolutely LOVE to see this side of Manawa become a little gathering spot of its own.
I can picture it all so clearly.
And getting to build this dream alongside my family makes every long day and late night that much more meaningful.
There are still going to be plenty of challenges, changes of plans and moments when we wonder what in the world we got ourselves into.
But there’s something I’ve been reminding myself lately…
Don’t get so caught up in everything that’s left to do that you forget to appreciate everything you’ve already done.
Because someday, these early mornings packaging orders, deliveries on my way to work, unfinished walls, temporary displays and late nights standing outside looking through those windows will all be part of the story of how this began.
And I have a feeling they’re going to be some of the memories I treasure most.
So here’s a little look at our day-to-night world lately. 🤎
It’s not finished.
It’s not perfect.
But it’s ours.
And little by little, that vision I’ve carried in my heart is becoming something I can finally see right in front of me.
We’re not finished. We’re just getting started. 🤎🌿
The Root Collective Co.
Salon • Studio • Boutique
📍 Manawa, Wisconsin
🌿 Home of Rooted & Wild Boutique LLC
🛍️ rooted-wild-boutique.myshopify.com