the.com/boutique
a small shop that charges large prices for the privilege of being chosen carefully.
means A small, specialized shop selling fashionable or luxury goods, or by extension any small business offering a tailored, exclusive service.
from French boutique, "shop," which traveled down from Latin apotheca, "storehouse" — the very same word that gives us "apothecary" and Spanish bodega. The Latin came in turn from Greek apothēkē, a place where things are laid away. So the chic little dress shop and the dusty old storeroom are, etymologically, the same idea wearing different clothes; English borrowed the French form in the 18th century.
- french origin
- From Greek apotheke, meaning storehouse or warehouse
- scale shift
- Now describes banks, law firms, even hotels
- size signal
- Smallness is marketed as exclusivity, not limitation
- 1960s boom
- London's Carnaby Street made boutiques a fashion icon
colette paris — iconic paris concept store that curated design, fashion, and art from 1997-2017
dover street market — luxury boutique founded by rei kawakubo in london in 2004, now in 13 cities
ssense montreal — independent canadian luxury boutique and e-commerce platform started in 1993