An Essex County boutique that has deep roots in the community is back in business.

Shala’s Boutique in Millburn has been in business for more than 35 years.

“We want to have a little bit of everything,” says owner Shala Powell. “My whole goal is to have handmade creations, by mostly American artists.” 

The store sells gifts for children, women’s clothing, jewelry and accessories for the home. It reopened last week in a new location across the street – with plenty of COVID-19 safety protocols in place.

“You have to wear a mask,” says Powell. “We have sanitizer pumps all around the store.”

Powell says that she did lose some business over the past few months and had to get creative to continue to thrive with the new status quo.

“I have an online presence. My youngest daughter finished our website, so there’s a lot going on. I’m also very lucky to have very loyal customers that supported this whole horror. They would call us, we would deliver to them,” Powell says.