(page 46) DECEMBER 2014
THE REAL DEAL
Names: Jennifer Nielsen // Hometown: Brandon //Age: 34 // Specialty: Women’s fashion
town. We have a lot of people that come in and say they never used to shop downtown because everything is so expensive. I think we filled that niche of a more reasonably-priced store. And then we’re also a destination on Thursday nights during the summer. During Summer Nights, we stay open for the concerts that go on, so we have a bunch of people venture in. Tell us about some of the brands you carry. We carry Liverpool Denim. Cowgirl Tough Jeans. Not Rated Fashion Boots. Sanuk Sandals. Pecos Bill Western Boots. Good Work(s) Make a Difference accessories – they donate 25 percent of their net profit to a specific organization. What’s your favorite thing about owning this business? My favorite thing is the relationships I’ve made with all my customers. A lot of them call this ‘their store.’ Someone will ask where they got something and they’ll say, ‘Well, at my store downtown.’ I think that’s really cool.
JENNIFER NIELSEN ‘Be Your Own Kind of Beautiful.’ And that’s what I hope people feel like when they’re here and when they leave.
Untamed Accessories & Clothing is becoming a destination for fashion-forward, cost-conscious women. Jennifer Nielsen opened the downtown Rapid City store in June 2013 with the goal of giving her customers the complete boutique experience, while keeping her inventory reasonably priced. Staying true to that vision has helped Nielsen amass a loyal customer base that spans generations and income levels. What inspired you to open Untamed? I have friends who own a store in Deadwood – Madame Peacock’s. They had me help them one summer and I started getting an itch to open my own store. I was going
to have a bunch of accessories and a few pieces of clothing, but now it’s turned into tons of clothing and a little bit of accessories. We have everything from Western wear to some workout wear, denim, western boots, fashion boots, purses, scarves, gifty items, and even some home décor items. This store started as something fun to do, but now we have a really good local following. In the summer, we have tons of tourists that come and I get messages on Facebook from people asking me to ship things. What does your store add to downtown Rapid City? I think our prices are definitely something different for down-
How do you hope women feel when they shop here? I hope they feel beautiful. On our mirror, we wrote ‘Be Your Own Kind of Beautiful.’ And that’s what I hope people feel like when they’re here and when they leave. I try to tell everyone, ‘Don’t look at the size. Just try things on. Don’t worry about what size it is.’ No one can tell what size you’re wearing. It’s not stitched on clothing for people to see. As long as you look and feel good in it, that’s all that matters. Untamed Accessories & Clothing is located 527 7th St. in downtown Rapid City. For more info, visit www. facebook.com/UntamedAccessoriesClothing or call (605) 343-5020.