Growing Our Team and Reaching a New Community

After months of research, prep, and God orchestrated events, we have chosen to start another Top Buttons Boutique in downtown Bartow!!! Bartow is a quaint, old and beautiful city outside of Lakeland and is also the government hub of our county. Our new Top Buttons space is occupying the Stuart Building, right off Main and Central. In 1915, our building was known as the Stewart Hotel and it quickly became an upscale favorite among both tourists and locals.

Our space is perfect and we are so excited for the opportunity to expand our program services and also be a part of this very special community! Our grand opening is on November 9th, along with Rafa Natural, Arts on Central, and Bartow Mercantile.

Not only are we thrilled to announce the expanding of our services, but we have also expanded our team - meet Jaime!  She will be owning our Top Buttons Bartow Boutique under the direction of our TB Thrift Boutique Program Directer, Niki Hoyle. Out of all the pieces that came together for this new venture, having Jaime join the team has been the unexpected yet most necessary component for us to move forward.  You will love her as much as we do! Find out why here:

 It all started with a hashtag.

I found myself at 31, fresh off a decade working in IT and looking to change my career. Spoiler alert: it turns out lots of adults still don’t know what they want to be when they grow up.

A family friend of mine was opening a new business just up the road in downtown Bartow, so I would visit near daily to help build her website and spend some time chatting about the new activity downtown.

She’d playfully end conversations with “#centeroftheuniverse!” - a loving poke at our traditionally sleepy little town. As the weeks continued and more businesses started to pop up, #centeroftheuniverse started to feel like less of a playful jab and more of a reality. So when the opportunity to join Top Buttons in Bartow presented itself, I knew I had to take it. Now I find myself immersed in an entirely new world, one that’s challenging, creative, and more fulfilling than anything I’ve ever been a part of. The Top Buttons team has been doing amazing work in the Lakeland community for almost 5 years now, and it’s such an honor to be a part of this team as we begin our journey to serve the young women of Bartow. I invite you to visit our space in the historic Stuart Building, meet our team, and come see why our little town really is the #centeroftheuniverse.

-Jaime