SUBLETTE – When Nadia Pardon was moving to Sublette from Ohio (the state) a year and a half ago, she really didn’t know what to expect.

Pardon came to Illinois with her boyfriend Alan Stamberger and two children Baylor, 4, and Charlotte Ruth, 3, to be closer to family.

Although she was on new terrain and in a different environment, she brought with her a familiarity, making children’s clothes.

“I didn’t have a store in Ohio, but I was making handmade clothes and selling them on buy/sell/trade groups on Facebook,” Pardon said. “That’s also what I was doing the first year I’ve been in Sublette.

“An opportunity came where I could move into a store, and I took it. It was a big jump from selling things on Facebook to having a whole store of items. I make everything I have in the store, except some of the T-shirts. I buy the T-shirt and then press the image on to them.”

Little Ruth’s Boutique has been open at 100 South Front Street in Sublette since the middle of December 2023 and a grand opening was held on August 24, 2024.

Through the first eight months of business, Pardon has enjoyed her time in Sublette and has learned a thing or two.

“It’s been good business wise here in Sublette,” Pardon said. “It’s a little slow trying to build local clientele, but I still have an online website, so that helps. I just started where customers can place an order online and they can pick up their purchase anytime The Local Cup & Cake is open.”

Little Ruth’s Boutique is open in Sublette from 8:30-11 a.m. Tuesday and Saturday, and Pardon accepts texts at 419-771-2145 to open if customers can’t make her Tuesday and Saturday hours. 

The online site to buy from Little Ruth’s Boutique is Littleruthsboutique.square.site.

The boutique offers shirts, rompers, dresses, shorts, and anything else kids can wear, made by Pardon herself.

“My great-grandmother Ruth taught me how to sew a little bit. But, when I was pregnant with my daughter, I was buying a lot of handmade boutique stuff,” said Pardon, who started creating children’s clothes four years ago. “It was so expensive, so I started making clothes. There is a huge market for kid’s boutique clothes. I started selling a few items here and there, and then I got kind of big into making and selling.

“The amount of money some places charge is outrageous. The amount they’re making off of what it costs for fabric is crazy. It’s not even close to affordable. I try to keep my prices very affordable.”

When it came to naming the business, it was kind of easy.

Great-grandmother Ruth, 94, lives in Ohio, has played a big role in Pardon’s life. When she found out she was having a daughter, Charlotte Ruth was the chosen name, with the middle name in the honor of her grandmother.

“It was kind of a surprise to her that I was naming it Little Ruth’s Boutique,” Pardon said. “Charlotte is kind of the face of Little Ruth’s Boutique. When there are new patterns and styles that come out, she is the first one to try it on and models the clothes.”