Nicole Carrabine brought her dream of owning a boutique to life at the start of 2023. After purchasing The Lake Forest Shop, she has transformed it into a timeless yet fashion-forward store. With a keen eye for style and an intense passion for fashion, Carrabine and her team carefully curate each collection with the goal of ensuring customers love every piece.
Q: Did you always envision yourself as a boutique owner, or did that idea come to you later in life?
A. “Owning my own store was something I always wanted to do, but I had other jobs with my family I really liked. I finally decided if I was ever going to do it, now was the time.”
Q: Where do you draw inspiration from when curating the collection for the shop?
A. “I look for wearable pieces that I think my customers will respond to and love. I like to have a wide range of traditional, more conservative pieces, as well as pieces that are a little bit more fashion-forward.”
Q: Can you expand on how you select pieces for the shop?
A. “I go to New York four times a year— in February, June, September, and December— for the market. It’s when all of the designers and lines show their collection for that season. In February, I went and previewed Fall 2025 collections. I was purchasing items that would be shipped in August. You buy six months ahead of time and marketusually takes three to four days.
A lot of the brands are in multi-brand showrooms, they’re like big lofts. For example, Rebecca’s Valence and Asten Studio were in the same showroom. When you’re looking at the collections, you pick out what you like and models try it on for you. We take pictures of everything and edit it down to the pieces we think will do best in the store. We’ve been invited to a couple shows before, like Jonathan Sim Kai, but haven’t actually made it to one because they usually take place a couple days before we arrive.”
Q: What drew you to fashion in the first place?
A. “I have always loved clothes. I loved everything from the construction of them to how they could express how you were feeling that day. Also on the retail side, I love when we are able to find and style an outfit for a woman and make her feel great, look great, feel confident, and be excited to wear an outfit!”
Q: How do you think The Lake Forest Shop reflects the spirit of the local community?
A. “I do have to be a little bit careful because prior to us buying the shop, it had a reputation of being only very fancy and older. People didn’t want to necessarily come in and just browse or look around or say hello. I think I’ve hopefully made it so that everybody feels comfortable coming in. Also, a wide variety of ages are interested in what we carry. I like being part of the Lake Forest community and getting involved in different fundraisers and being able to donate things. I love the camaraderie of the team we have and getting to know customers that I may not have known in town before.”
Q: What has been your most rewarding experience since opening the shop?
A. “When people come in and compliment the selection of items I’ve curated, pieces, and the different variety of lines we have. It’s so rewarding. I love when someone comes in who doesn’t like shopping or feels intimidated by going into stores and trying on clothes and then coming in and walking away saying ‘This was so much fun! Thank you so much, I love what I got and had fun doing it!’”
