An experienced executive is giving women-owned businesses a boost while filling what she sees as an opportunity in Arlington’s retail landscape.
Nov. 15 marks the official grand opening of The Golden Fox Boutique, a lifestyle shop owned by Arlington resident Paula Frishman at The Crossing Clarendon. Visitors can peruse the 1,500-square-foot storefront for athleisure wear, cashmere sweaters, mugs, coffee, pillows, candles, baby gifts and other little luxuries. The inventory will rotate frequently and seasonally, Frishman says, based on demand and whim.
“They’re all products I personally love,” says the shopkeeper, who aims to support women-owned companies, DMV-made goods and mission-driven brands—including small businesses that employ people with disabilities or donate a portion of sales to animal rescue organizations. “We’re focused on really specific, unique products.”
Examples include washable vegan leather bags from woman-owned OTG 247, animal print dish towels and throw pillows by woman- and veteran-owned Goose and Willow, notecards featuring D.C. landmarks by Arlington’s own Fast Snail and leather-wrapped whiskey glasses by Alexandria-based Sophisticate Supply.
For those wishing to express their hometown pride, the wearable items include a gray hoodie with “Clarendon” emblazoned across the front in cursive.
Frishman, who previously spent about 20 years working as a nonprofit executive and consultant, says this is her first foray into retail: “I always loved shopping, loved boutiques and decided to make a career pivot. It just feels like, for whatever reason, Arlington doesn’t have a lot of shops.”
While researching the retail sector, Frishman became friends with Nicole Kahle, who manages Lemoncello Boutique in the Lee Heights Shops, and worked there part-time to learn the ropes. The Golden Fox opened via soft launch on Oct. 23.
What’s the significance of the store’s name? Frishman says she has loved foxes ever since one began showing up in her Arlington backyard a few years ago.
“When you tell everyone that you like something, you start to receive lots of gifts,” she says. “I started to collect a bunch of fox items, and when we decided to do the business, we just decided to focus it around the fox.”
Fellow fox fans will be delighted to hear that the shop stocks fox-printed throw pillows, too.
The Golden Fox Boutique is located at 2700 Clarendon Blvd., Ste. 430, Arlington. Store hours are Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., and Sundays, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.