Upon entering K&S Boutique, 3009 N. Broadway, an immediate sparkle beams from the lower level filled with jewelry cases. Colorful clothing, scarves and handbags line the stairs to the second floor, leading customers up to the European merchandise.

The store’s appearance, location and products have changed throughout the last year. As the owners celebrate the boutique’s one-year anniversary, their mission stays the same: making customers feel special and unique. Providing hard-to-find brands and original handmade pieces has kept them afloat through the challenges of being a new business.

Kerem Ozkaya and Serdar Umur opened K&S Boutique in November 2009 as a jewelry store on Clark Street. Over the past year, they moved to Broadway and added more merchandise to widen their customer base and increase revenue. Ozkaya and Umur, childhood friends from Turkey, created a decidedly European atmosphere to bring the Grand Bazaar—a large, covered market in Istanbul—of their youth to Chicago.

While living in Turkey, Ozkaya and Umur were engineers. When they decided they needed a change, they moved to the United States to start a business incorporating their love of fashion they acquired from the street markets and bazaars they grew up with. They both knew getting started wouldn’t be easy.

“We are a boutique, we are not Macy’s or Express,” Ozkaya said. “That means they have 300 [or] 400 people per day—maybe more—but we’re getting five people [or] 10 people and on the weekends 30. So we want them to feel really special when they get something from here.”

For the first six months of their business, they sold jewelry made of Turkish silver. When they moved to a larger location, the rent was too high for their current income. They began to sell clothing—all European brands—to bring in more business and ensure they could afford their new, more expensive rent.

K&S Boutique is now one of the only carriers of the Barcelona-based label Desigual in the country. Soon, they will open a corner shop associated with the boutique featuring the line.

According to Chicago stylist and fashion blogger Katie Schuppler, the Desigual brand is one of the boutique’s top-selling lines with some items priced into the thousands. Part of the boutique’s success can be attributed to its varying price points, Schuppler said. The clothing may be expensive, but some jewelry and accessories are affordable for everyone. However, with loyal customers coming through to spend big bucks on specialty brands, the dwindling economy affected sales in the last couple of months.

“It’s hard for us too, especially October and November,” Ozkaya said. “That’s holiday shopping time, but [sales were] definitely not what we were expecting.”

Along with the high-end designer jewelry and clothing, Ozkaya and Umur later began featuring local designers’ work.

Pieces from local designers fit in perfectly with the boutique’s unique, handmade aesthetic, according to Alisa Galoozis of Petal Pushers jewelry based out of Naperville, Ill., which is sold at K&S Boutique.

“Our pieces are handmade by my business partner and I, and we do all the work,” Galoozis said. “They are very unique items [and] one-of-a-kind pieces not everyone will be wearing. Local businesses are so much more interesting than just walking into a big box and find[ing] the same stuff.”

Ozkaya said it’s important for the boutique to always be changing to keep Chicago shoppers interested in what it offers. This includes the window display, which is redesigned every Monday. The large storefront windows are a large contributor to the foot traffic the store receives, according to Schuppler.

“It’s two levels, it’s all glass in the front so you can see right in the store,” Schuppler said. “It kind of makes you wonder what’s in it. I think that really just draws people to it.”

While the boutique has little trouble attracting repeat Lakeview customers, throughout the next year Ozkaya and Umur hope to bring more people in. Long-term ideas floating around right now include getting rid of the jewelry section and possibly turning part of the store into a martini bar. With all future plans, the customers are the No. 1 concern.

“As a boutique [owner], I believe you should try to buy things your customer will like,” Ozkaya said. “We don’t want anyone to find something other people have. Otherwise you’re not a boutique.”