The doors of St. Charles Parish’s oldest clothing boutique first opened in the spring of 1974 when Bob and Millie Derveloy took over a small and newly-opened shop called The Foxy Lady Boutique.
The boutique, which was originally located on Highway 90 in Mimosa Park, has managed to survived for nearly 35 years with Millie and her husband also opening a second location in Destrehan on Ormond Boulevard in 1986.
“Originally, Foxy Lady was owned by two young girls, and for personal reasons, they couldn’t continue to run the business,” Millie said. “At that time, my children were all grown and away from home, so I began helping out and eventually I asked my husband to buy it for me.”
Millie says that it was her love for fabrics and fashion that rooted her interest in owning a boutique.
“This is a family-owned and operated business,” she said. “My daughters Rhonda and Susan have played a large part in running Foxy Lady and handle most of the buying now.”
So what’s the Derveloys’ secret for staying in business for so long? Millie says that it’s their determination to be successful.
“You have to be determined and dedicated to the business,” Millie said. “You have to put your whole self into it and we’ve always had a good customer following.
“And I thank all my loyal customers who have shopped with us for so long for our success. Many of them have become our good friends.”
Ladies’ junior and misses fashion, shoes, jewelry and other accessories are available at both locations in a variety of styles, sizes and colors.
“Any customer that comes into the shop will be given the opportunity to browse or we can assist them with putting together that one of a kind look,” Millie said.
And customer service is also a priority. If a customer at the Luling location needs a particular size, it can either be delivered from the Destrehan store or, if they choose to, it can be held there and picked up.
“Our goal is to keep up with the fashion trends and the changes that take place,” she said. “And we’re honest here. I’m not afraid to tell someone the truth about what they’re trying on. If it’s not becoming, then I’ll tell them and then it’s up to the customer to decided whether or not to purchase the item.
“A lot of people have relied on us for that reason,” Millie continued. “We’re truthful and we’re helpful. We assist customers in getting the right size or outfit for the occasion.”
Millie says that a lot of times her customers will shop at surrounding malls, but then make their way back to Foxy Lady because they couldn’t find what they were looking for.
“It’s important for people to shop local to keep the money in the parish and support local business,” she said. “And our prices compare very well to the larger department stores. Just because we are smaller doesn’t mean that our prices are higher.
“We even carry some of the same name brands as the others do.”
And to keep customers coming back for more, Foxy Lady offers great incentives.
“We have something called the ‘500 Club’ where if you spend $500 any time during the year, then you’ll get rewarded with a $50 in-store gift certificate,” Millie said. “And right now all of our summer apparel is on clearance with some items marked down to as low as 75 percent off.”
Millie, who’s now 86, has a few wise words to share with the up-and-coming clothing boutique owners in the parish.
“My advice to others is hard work, dedication, and the ability to run your business yourself,” she said. “You can’t depend on other people to run your business. You have to be there to know what’s going on in your store.”
Both Foxy Lady locations are open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The Luling store is located inside the St. Charles Plaza on Highway 90 and the Destrehan location is at 1970 Ormond Blvd.
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