Crossroads boutique styles Y2K nostalgia with 2024 representation: ‘It heals my inner child’
April 16, 2024 | Taylor Wilmore
Courtnie Ross wants to help customers of all kinds embrace their own personal style in her store — and be comfortable in the fit, the LoveStoned boutique owner said.
“The core of what I feel like I’m meant to do in life is to help people feel good about themselves,” she said.
With glittery sets, crop tops, and baby pink accessories, the Crossroads shop draws inspiration from the early 2000s’ Y2K era, a playful style to which Ross, a millennial, has her own personal connection.
“I feel like it heals my inner child a little,” she said. “It’s just such a fun, nostalgic style.”
Ross’s background in the fashion and beauty industry dates back to 2010 as a professional hair and makeup artist. She participated in the BetaBlox business incubator in 2015 with her own makeup line.
However, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, it prompted Ross to change her career trajectory.
“I still had that entrepreneurial spirit within me, and that passion for helping people feel beautiful about themselves,” she said.
Exiting out of an abusive relationship, Ross decided to take the money she was originally saving for her wedding and invested it into her business, opening up LoveStoned in 2022.
“I’m turning that negative experience into something positive,” she said.
Courtnie Ross, LoveStoned; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News
Representation in Y2K
Ross curates her collection for LoveStoned by scouring the LA Fashion District and attending trade shows, while also embracing the digital realm with independent online wholesale vendors. She makes it a point to find and support BIPOC-owned, women-owned, and LGBTQ-owned brands and creators, she said.
“We really believe in representation in fashion because, especially in the Y2K era, there was none,” said Ross, intentionally finding plus-size clothes that fit the store’s style and representing different bodies in photoshoots to have inclusivity be a strong part of LoveStoned’s brand.
“I know that I can’t change the whole fashion industry but if I can do what I can locally within my community, then I know I’m on the right path,” said Ross.
With her personal styling appointments, customers can get custom, hand-selected outfits by LoveStoned’s stylists to upgrade their wardrobe.
One memorable moment within Ross’s mission coming to life: an encounter with a tearful customer who fell in love with her outfit at LoveStoned.
“She said, ‘This truly means a lot to have a safe space where it just feels like I’m hanging out with my girlfriends, and find things that actually look cute on me.’ I was like, ‘Oh my god, thank you. I’m going to go cry now.’”
Courtnie Ross, LoveStoned; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News
Dreams to expand
Despite juggling entrepreneurship and pursuing a marketing degree at UMKC, Ross remains undeterred in her long term vision for LoveStoned, dreaming to open up multiple, bigger stores.
She sees LoveStoned becoming a more ethical version of global fashion brand Dolls Kill with its future success.
“I just want to continue to spread the message of how important representation is within the industry and how important diversity is within your business and your brand,” said Ross.
Taylor Wilmore
Taylor Wilmore, hailing from Lee’s Summit, is a dedicated reporter and a recent graduate of the University of Missouri, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Journalism. Taylor channels her deep-seated passion for writing and storytelling to create compelling narratives that shed light on the diverse residents of Kansas City.
Prior to her role at Startland News, Taylor made valuable contributions as a reporter for the Columbia Missourian newspaper, where she covered a wide range of community news and higher education stories.
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