By Gretchen Webster

WESTPORT — When Carey Price was a girl in the 1980s she enjoyed shopping in Westport’s small boutiques. Now, Price has a clothing boutique of her own — The Cove Collective, 26 Railroad Place in Saugatuck.

Price attended the Parsons School of Design and worked with fashion designer Betsey Johnson for several years, and for Vogue magazine in France.

At the Cove Collective, she curates a variety of different brands to create a clothing collection for women that she calls “high-style fashion with an affordable price point.”

It takes time to look for merchandise that meets her standards, but is affordable, Price said. She favors “interchangeable items” that a woman can use to easily modify her look, “without having a crazy wardrobe.” 

Price first had several pop-up stores in Norwalk near the beach, featuring what she calls the “New York City girl meets the coastal girl” style. When a realtor friend mentioned an available spot on Railroad Place, formerly the Sports Attic, she jumped at the chance to open her own boutique in Westport.

The store, which opened Nov. 14, is a modest size, offering four or five brands, and includes accessories such as purses and shoes. 

Price likes the small space, which makes her collection seem “more approachable and underwhelming,” she said. “It’s where someone can walk through and get a good idea of what we’re selling.”

She especially enjoys working with customers seeking a little help to plan their wardrobe. The shop’s website also offers “styling services and wardrobe edits,” she said.

“I love it when women come in and we talk. I give my advice. Some are very fashionable women and some are looking for fashion guidance,” Price said.

So far, Price has been impressed with the warm welcome from the Westport business community. Other business owners have come by to wish her well, she said, and one even brought her lunch because she was new to the neighborhood. 

Business at the shop on the first Saturday it was open also was quite busy, Price said.

“Westport has been incredibly welcoming,” she added. 

The Cove Collective is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. Store hours may be extended in the future. For more information, visit the Cove Collective website.

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Freelance writer Gretchen Webster, a Fairfield County journalist and journalism teacher for many years, was editor of the Fairfield Minuteman newspaper for 10 years and teaches journalism at Southern Connecticut State University.