Stepping into the diminutive courtyard of The Wardrobe at 231 D St., I was met by the vibrant purple and yellow of the boutique’s sign above the door, a colorful bouquet of flowers in a vase in the entrance, and the very stylish proprietress, Heather Caswell, who describes herself as a style coach or curator. “I’m the one who created what it is,” Caswell said, sharing that this creation is now in its 37th year.
“It also had a history before I took it over” she added, so, technically, The Wardrobe has been part of Davis for 46 years. “I moved to Davis to be part of the Blue Mango restaurant which was a worker-owned vegetarian restaurant and coffee house, and to get a Masters in nutrition.” Heather became the outreach coordinator and learned how to run a small business by being part of the Blue Mango, realizing how much she loved “building community” adding, “And I never left!” Heather also became involved in consigned clothing to help herself get through college, and this led her to the store called The Wardrobe where they were hiring and where she became a manager within a month and owned the place 3 months later.
“I recognized that there was really nothing happening for the young people and at the time I targeted the twenty-somethings in college because that’s what I was.” She built her business on “used 501 Jeans,” before she changed the complete model and started selling new clothing. “It’s been all new since the reinvention in 2000,�.