Saltwash Boutique, a fashion boutique that describes its offerings as “a curated collection of lovely clothing and gifts,” debuted last Friday, at 1000 Central Avenue in the EDGE District.

Owner Rebecca Margarites moved to Gulfport from Seaside, Florida, about a year ago.

Originally from Chicago, where she founded Jolie Boutique and Sugarplum, she became enchanted by the white-sand beaches of North Florida and eventually settled in Seaside, a small master-planned community in Walton County that was built using the principles of New Urbanism, an urban-design movement. The town is also notable for being the location where the 1998 Jim Carrey film The Truman Show was shot. 

Shortly after moving to Seaside, Margarites opened Whitewash Boutique, which she describes as “down-to-earth, casually elegant, feminine style … with a beach lifestyle twist.” The store offers everything from loungewear and footwear to handbags, jewelry, and other accessories.

Her St. Pete shop, Saltwash Boutique, is an offshoot, of sorts, of Whitewash Boutique in Seaside. “It’s not my first rodeo,” Margarites told St. Pete Rising.

Margarites said she has been welcomed with open arms by the St. Pete business community. Soon after moving to the area, she joined St. Pete Girl Boss, the largest female entrepreneurship group in Tampa Bay.

With Saltwash, Margarites hopes to fill a gap in St. Pete’s boutique clothing marketplace. “I’ve been in retail a long time,” she said, “and what I saw was lacking in St. Pete, in my opinion, is that most of the women’s apparel seems to be focused on younger women, in their 20s, maybe their 30s. For the demographic of 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, there’s just not a lot for that age bracket.”

Margarites described Saltwash’s clothing “vibe” as reliant on neutral tones and natural fabrics that will appeal to a wide range of shoppers.

“My daughter’s in her 20s, my mom is in her 70s, and I’m in my 50s,” she said. “I try to have something for all of us, but it’s definitely for a more mature customer.”

Margarites said she strives to stock “reasonably priced” items, and a quick perusal of Whitewash’s Instagram account confirms that, with many items under $100 and even $50. “Our prices, in the boutique world, are what I would consider moderate. We’re not selling $300 or $200 dresses; we’re selling $100 dresses.”

But Margarites also prioritizes high-quality items. “These are not shirts that you’re going to wear two or three times and then they fall apart in the wash,” she said.

Jewelry shoppers will have plenty to choose from at Saltwash without going over budget. Margarites described the store’s selection as “mid-range costume jewelry” pieces and said she doesn’t plan to stock high-end silver, gold, or platinum pieces.

For example, “We’ll carry a strand of pearls for $89,” she said. “But we’ll also have fun, trendy earrings that are, like, $29. We do a lot of jewelry. That is one of the strong things that we do. We also carry a lot of handbags, nice, leather handbags. We also have vegan wristlets for around $39.”

Margarites said she also plans to carry shoes but is not sure how big of a selection Saltwash will initially have when it opens. She said comfort and quality are the highest priorities for her when it comes to choosing shoe styles to keep in stock.

“Shoes will be a little more on the high end, probably around $129,” she said. “But they’re going to be good-quality shoes that will last years.”

Saltwash Boutique is now open at 1000 Central Avenue in downtown St. Petersburg, FL. For more updates, follow Saltwash on Instagram at @saltwashboutique.