New boutique opens in Tucumcari

The recent opening of Sunset Avenue Boutique women's clothing store in Tucumcari fulfills a dream the owner held since she was a girl.

"I've always wanted a store since I was 10 years old," owner and operator Breanna Driscoll said during an interview last week, less than a week after the boutique's soft opening on Nov. 18. "I used to spend a lot of summers at my grandma's house in Schulenburg, Texas, another small town a lot like this.

"I always wanted to do this, and this seemed like a good place to do it. If I did this in Houston, the rent would probably be $3,000. I thought here would be a perfect opportunity."

Driscoll said she and her family moved to Tucumcari from the Houston suburb of Cypress, Texas, about a year ago after her husband's grandfather died here. He came to help settle his grandfather's affairs, and they wound up staying.

Driscoll said she looked at several unoccupied gas stations in Tucumcari before settling on a former motel office for her store.

Sunset Avenue Boutique is at 407 E. Route 66 Blvd., next to Boulevard Cleaners.

Back in the Houston area, Driscoll said she helped run an ATV rental business. She said she had no previous experience in retail other than "I like to shop," though she studied business management and human relations at Lone Star College in Houston.

The boutique offers "dressy and chic" women's tops, jeans, rain and snow boots, flat shoes and jewelry.

"I just wanted to offer clothing that you could wear to church, to work ... something fancy. No T-shirts or sweatpants," she said.

Women's sizes offered range from small to 3X. The store does not sell children's clothing.

Since opening, Driscoll said sales have been "really good."

The store's hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.