Our Story
- Written by Marie DeNicola
Mainstream Boutique - Our Franchise Story
Mainstream Boutique began in 1991 as a direct sales company selling unique apparel and accessories in homes and businesses all over the Twin Cities.The idea came from Marie DeNicola, founder, President and CEO of the company.
Marie had spent years in the garment district in Los Angeles as a buyer, merchandiser and planner for such companies as Windsor Fashions and the now defunct Clothestime.
Her husband Nick’s career resulted in moving to Atlanta where Marie was Director of Purchasing for the Art Institutes International. In the cold winter of 1991 the family packed up once again for Nick’s career, and moved to Minnesota.
Marie dreamt of a company who could offer unique, fun and exciting apparel and accessories for today’s busy woman. Soon the company was doing 100 shows in a month, and the word spread all the way to the Oprah show where Marie was featured as a successful entrepreneur. Calls came in from women all over the world wanting to know how they could do the same thing in their area, and the answer for that was offering a franchise.
Over the years Mainstream has evolved and kept up with the ever changing fashion trends. Mainstream Boutique was born around the kitchen table and now has more than 20 stores in 9 states nationwide. Its corporate headquarters and main retail store are located in Apple Valley, Minnesota.
Mainstream continues to grow and add more franchises to the Mainstream family. Mainstream’s mission is to offer this great business model to women all over the country and continue to grow for years to come.
