MSU Madison Avenue Boutique gets an upgrade

Written by Zoe Brown

Photos by Lauren Rose

Recently Madison Avenue, Missouri State University’s boutique in the Plaster Student Union, got a face lift. 

Emily Doll, marketing specialist for the Missouri State University Bookstore, said the team from the bookstore, that works in conjunction with Madison Avenue, wanted to draw in more business to the online and in-person store due to customer  loss during the pandemic.

“We decided, ‘Let's make it something new, exciting and comfortable,’” Doll said.

To make the store more comfortable, they added more lighting, greenery, and furniture.

“Retail therapy is a real thing,” Doll said. “Everybody needs a break. We wanted to really channel that and make it encouraging and welcoming.”

The marketing team started discussing the changes to the store during the fall of 2020 and began making the changes in January. 

However, there was a pretty big hiccup in their plans caused by the extreme winter weather conditions in mid-February. The flooding in the PSU pushed back the reopening of the store, but Madison Avenue did not undergo as much damage as other parts of the building. 

The store did a soft reopening in March but has plans for a grand re-opening in April.

McKinzie Ware, a senior early childhood education major, has worked at Madison Avenue for two years, she said there is something in the store for everyone. 

The store holds a variety of styles, with new items coming in every few weeks. Doll and Ware said they utilize Instagram to help decide what type of clothing to stock. 

“We did an Instagram poll like, ‘This or That’ and everyone had different answers. Not one person was the same,” Doll said. “So we took those and kind of simplified it, and compared it to styles that you see around campus.”

After the selection process, they determine which styles are available in plus sizes, can be received in two weeks and are in season.

During the rebranding of Madison Avenue, the store not only got new merchandise and an updated interior- it also expanded options for shopping. Everything available in-store is also available on their website 

Madison Avenue is looking to further expand and connect with students through a consignment section in the store. 

“One of the really exciting things that we are currently working on is creating a consignment section right behind me,” Doll said. “So organizations can put pieces in here, sell it and get most of the proceeds.”

Doll encourages students to interact with Madison Avenue on social media to give feedback and let the store know what styles you want to see.
Follow @mostatemadisonavenue on Instagram for updates.