Tucked away in Fleming Place on 10th and Gage, the cozy and super-chic Blush Boutique offers an alternative shopping experience that can’t be gained from department stores or retail clothing shops. And that’s exactly what owner Hope Allen had in mind when she opened up the boutique this past fall.

With brands like Kenzie Girl, AG, Juicy Couture, Uggs, BP and 7 for All Mankind, she says it draws in a lot of loyal customers who are from larger cities and are used to trendy and fashionable boutiques.

“I get girls coming from all over,” said Allen. “Texas, Oklahoma and girls from out of town. And I also have quite a few customers from Washburn’s law department.”

Allen herself is a Washburn graduate but she has also lived in Sarasota, Flor. After moving back to Topeka, her love of fashion drew her to start her own boutique where there were mostly larger chain clothing stores. She brings in the designer names from market fashion shows in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas and Los Angeles, and to keep her customers updated about new clothing and accessory shipments and offers, Allen keeps her contact list of about 700 customers informed by e-mails.

I came to have a little shopping spree of my own, and the wide array of great-fitting jeans (including Oprah’s “It” jeans, which, by the way, fit curves) and couture dresses impressed me the most. Not to mention the fact that for a little extra cash, customers can gain the experience of actually being helped when buying jeans, instead of wasting an entire day spent inside a jail-cell dressing room in a department store. Did I mention that she does free alterations on any of their premium brands?

Thankfully, spring is just around the corner, and so is the Blush Boutique. Open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and by appointment on Sunday, it makes for a great excursion with the girls or a fun way to update your spring break wardrobe. Malls are so overrated.