Business in Bismarck is booming! So be sure to keep up with all the local action by tuning in every Tuesday during the Evening Report as Jim Christianson takes you "Inside Business".

Lot 2029 | 02/21/2012

You can`t beat the big box stores for bargains and convenience. But if you`re looking for the personal touch and out-of-the-box designs, boutique shops can be the answer. Lot 2029 is one of those stores, open on 4th street in downtown Bismarck.

Madonna Wald spent nearly 20 years in the interior design trade, doing mostly commercial and office design for corporate clients. While she enjoyed that work, she wanted to spend more time with her daughters, and she wanted to focus on home decorating, which is her real passion.

"We hand pick every piece that we put in the store, um, my daughter does all the fashion and I do all the home decor, interior design and every piece we hand pick."

When Madonna`s oldest daughter, Hope, graduated from NDSU with degrees in interior design and marketing, she told her mom that they either had to open a retail store in downtown Bismarck, or she was moving out of state. The result, Lot 2029, opened last summer in a vacant space on 4th Street across from the Wells Fargo Building and has been growing strong ever since.

"There`s just so much going on downtown. We knew we had to come downtown," Wald said.

In addition to unique home furnishings, Lot 2029 carries an eclectic array of women`s shoes and apparel, and a wide selection of accessories. They only stock a half dozen of each clothing item, so when they`re gone, they`re gone.

"We have people coming in here from middle school all the way up to 70, 80. And we always say that all the fashion is available for all ages."

Wald says they are growing the business by word of mouth, as many customers discover hard-to-find items in the store and then tell their friends. Wald and her daughter also utilize social media to get the word out, and they are seeing steady growth in items that are purchased and shipped to customers out of state.

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