Name of business: Little Red Door

Type of business: Secondhand boutique 

Location: 340 E. Main St., Turlock

Hours: TBD upon opening

Contact information: 831-240-7579

Specialty: Affordable, “pre-loved” fashion

History of business: 

After just under a year of providing the community with an affordable option when it comes to clothing, consignment boutique Little Red Door is preparing to open its own brick-and-mortar location in downtown Turlock. 

Little Red Door opened last fall as just a small space inside of downtown shop Rustic Roots — a humble beginning that sisters and boutique owners Marissa Miranda and Isabella Cisneros now look back on fondly as they prepare to welcome customers to their new space on the corner of East Main and Thor. 

The boutique aims to give discarded fashion a second chance through a selection of up-cycled clothing hand-picked by the duo. Miranda and Cisneros frequent thrift shops in search of quality fabrics and one-of-a-kind items seldom found in stores today, from vintage Levi’s jeans to handbags from the 60s. 

The new space will allow them to provide even more options for customers who have supported them from day one, the sisters said.

“We always had this idea in the back of our minds that in five years or so it would be so cool to find a great spot in downtown Turlock. Did we ever in a million years think we would get the location we have? Absolutely not,” Miranda said.

Little Red Door will open inside of the former Geiger’s Fine Jewelry building sometime next month and will share the space with Reliable Property Management’s second location. 

“It’s equally surreal as it is terrifying,” Cisneros said with a laugh. “This is a dream come true to be able to work with family in a healthy way and also be successful.”

The larger space has also allowed the sisters to add a new section to the shop: “Wear it Again Sports,” which will offer lightly used sports clothing and equipment for children up to 13 years of age. As a mother herself, Miranda said she saw a need in the community for such a section.

“It’s the idea of allowing every child the opportunity to play a sport without it costing so much money for the parents,” she said. “It can get expensive.”

While many these days go thrifting in order to resell the clothing for a profit, Little Red Door aims to provide fashion at prices similar to the stores where the items were found. In addition, 10 percent of the shop’s proceeds go toward local nonprofit Prem-maa, which was started by two TC students to help stop human trafficking. The sisters also pointed out that finding some of their items at local thrift stores who also give back helps the community as well.

“We’re in this loop of economy where we are helping people and helping other businesses through their organization as well,” Cisneros said.

As they excitedly await the new and improved Little Red Door’s opening in a few short weeks, Miranda and Cisneros have been busy on their shop’s Instagram page, hosting live videos and selling inventory online. Customers can also shop on their website, www.littlereddoor.shop. 

Even though the space is much larger than their former home, the women believe they can keep up with the demand for thrifting — something that has increased in popularity as the coronavirus pandemic takes its toll on the economy. They anticipate the same support which got them this far to continue carrying Little Red Door for years to come.

“To be able to open a brick and mortar location in under a year...part of that success has been because of support from the community,” Cisneros said. “Turlock is a pretty small town, so word of mouth goes a long way. We wouldn’t be here without support from other downtown businesses, family and friends.”