The Heart Boutique, new non-profit

Special to the Green Valley News

Businesses sometimes change their names to reflect an new product offering or different brand identity. The cute little boutique known as 60s Chicks has changed its name to The Heart Boutique for a different reason.

60s Chicks owner Sharon Collins met Maria Gomez-Murphy, CEO of The Way of the Heart: The Promotora Institute, in 1999.

“I met Maria when I worked with women’s and children’s issues for Gov. (Jane) Hull. I knew Maria was someone special and when we recently reconnected, the idea of changing 60s Chicks into a nonprofit organization just clicked.” Collins said.

On May 9, an open house was held for “The Heart Boutique” in Vaughn Plaza, 1910 N. La Canada, in Green Valley. The Heart Boutique is a social enterprise of The Way of the Heart: The Promotora Institute (WHPI), a 501(c)3 non-profit agency whose mission is to improve the quality of life and health status of underserved populations in the U.S.-Mexico border region. All profits go toward providing services to the clients of WHPI, among whom are survivors of violence and other human rights abuses.

The merchandise for The Heart Boutique was made possible by a generous donation from Collins. She has stayed on as the manager of The Heart Boutique and is now an employee of The Way of the Heart: The Promotora Institute.

When asked why she made such a dramatic move Sharon replied, “It’s good to make money, but I’m already blessed with a wonderful job. I had fun with the creative part of 60s Chicks, but I wanted to do something that had more of a social impact.”

The Heart Boutique’s merchandise is new and purchased from women entrepreneurs from across the country and the world. Examples of vendors range from a single mother raising five kids in Virginia to seniors living on a fixed income in Arizona. The store is currently acquiring reasonably priced art from survivors of violence and life threatening diseases.

The Heart Boutique is open Tuesday-Saturday, noon - 4 p.m. Phone: 393-1264.

Mark Bollin is a partner in the firm Adhoc Business Resources, LLC