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Putting a dream together
POLAND GRADUATE’S BOUTIQUE OFFERS THE CHIC AND THE UNIQUE
Deloran Muranksy's ivory & birch in Boardman recently opened on U.S. Route 224.
Putting a dream together
Business woman starts her own boutique
By Kalea Hall
BOARDMAN
When Deloran Muransky was a little girl, she would consistently change her outfit.
Sometimes six times a day.
Her love for outfits and gifts coupled with growing up in an entrepreneurial family gave her the initiative to step into the world of owning her own business — a venture that is well worth it to her.
“To own your own business is the greatest luxury,” Muransky said.
In late October, Muransky opened her cozy, yet chic boutique, ivory & birch, at 7631 Market St.
“It all kind of happened in serendipitous timing,” Muransky said. “It just kind of felt like it was time to come home and give it a shot.”
The 28-year-old Poland alumna graduated in 2005. She went on to study marketing, French and international business at Washington University in St. Louis.
Muransky joined Kohl’s in Milwaukee after finishing her studies and moved for the company to New York City. Her role was product development. But in the back of her mind she always had the idea of opening her own store — an idea she had since age 17. That idea came to fruition this spring.
Her father, Ed Muransky, a local businessman, had an open space next to his Southwoods Imaging Center on Market Street.
By May of this year, Deloran went to market to find items for her store and started to develop a design.
“I think it is great, and I feel good for our area that a young person came back ... and put her dream together,” Ed said.
Working with Deloran at her new business has brought back memories for Ed when he was first starting his business career.
“You kind of assume everyone should know everything,” he said. “It is kind of fun to pass it along.”
Deloran started her business with a list of brands she liked that she bought for herself and others. She always liked online shopping and finding unique items in boutiques, so she started with those.
She wanted to make her store a place to go for it all: home, fashion and jewelry. Her mother and sister helped her pick out other items to add to the store’s growing list of merchandise and ideas.
“There aren’t many boutiques that have this mix,” she said. “The store has a lot of gifts to give to anyone in your life at a range of price points.”
The store offers 23 clothing lines and 110 brands altogether with the rest of the merchandise. Deloran found vendors on Etsy and put some of their products, such as art from one seller and a frame from another, together.
“Up until now, we just bought what we liked,” she said.
Now she is reordering several items for her female customer base. The art is a top seller in the store. But also the fashion jewelry and the clothing — everything from a $30 layering tank to a $500 fancy dress — is selling. Practically all of the items in the store appear to be for sale at the boutique. Mirrors and couches all have the staple ivory & birch tag.
So what is ivory & birch? Deloran doesn’t have a unique story to go with the name. Instead, the name fits with the refined rustic theme.
“When I was working on a name, I wanted to evoke a feeling,” she said.
Birch is a type of tree and her father’s company, The Muransky Co., uses a tree symbol. And ivory is homey, she said.
“I think there is a need for this,” Deloran said of her boutique. “Everyone gives gifts and wears clothes every day.”
Deloran did not forget about the men accompanying women when shopping. The store comes with a “man cave” equipped with beer and a TV to watch, and some gifts for men also are for sale.
“Anyone [with the funding] can just open a business,” Ed said. “The ones who sustain it are the ones who stay in business.”
For information on ivory & birch, go to ivoryandbirch.com.