The places that leave impressions on us as children never really leave us; we take a bit of the spirit of those places with us in our hearts. Lisa Cullings Polk, owner of The Thing Is Boutique in Mason, loved the wonderful shop her Aunt Mimi owned when she was growing up in Pennsylvania. This ladies’ boutique was in an old two-story building. Lisa has fond memories of the couch her aunt kept there. Mimi would invite people in and offer them something to snack on. In Lisa’s words, “her customers were her friends.” Upstairs were all the fancy clothes- lots of cocktail dresses that had covers over them. The tub in the bathroom, naturally, had goldfish in it. The store was filled with novel inventory, like wooden clogs from Sweden. Altogether, the store was an inviting, fun place. For Lisa, none of the joy of Aunt Mimi’s La Boutique faded when she began to work at the Joy Shop at age fifteen. She had found her calling.

It would be a while before it was time to pursue her calling. After high school graduation she held managerial positions at her hometown college, a river outfitter, and a hotel. But Lisa had taken a seed from the spirit of her aunt’s store, and she was waiting for the right place to plant it. The opportunity presented itself when a Mason property owned by her mother-in-law, Mary, had a vacancy. For the last fifteen years, that seed has grown and flourished into the completely unique shop that is The Thing is Boutique.

Lisa’s shop is truly “a woman's wonderland.” The store reminds me a little bit of a metaphorical Narnia, bigger than it appears at first glance. Instead of being one big open room, The Thing is Boutique is divided into smaller rooms, making each visit feel like an adventure of discovery as you wander from place to place. You never know quite what you might find in this magical shop! Each item in Lisa’s inventory has a story behind it. You can find works of art and craftsmanship from just down the road to the other side of the world. From silver jewelry made by a Polish artist to beeswax candles from a fifth-generation family-owned company, to hand painted clothing, to wooden pens handmade by a man in Voca, to children’s puppets, to art painted by local women, The Thing Is Boutique is as much a gala as a shop. In a world of fashion that is increasingly defined by mass production, this shop holds many items that are truly one-of-a-kind.

The Thing is Boutique is open Tuesday through Saturday 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. and Sunday through Monday by appointment. It is located on the North side of the courthouse square in Mason, Texas. The Thing Is offers services to help you take advantage of the shop’s eclectic inventory, including personal wardrobe styling and artisan gift-wrapping. The handcrafted inventory, lovingly curated by a joyful woman, defies description. You just have to experience it for yourself.