Cincinnati-based clothing and home goods boutique The Native One first opened the doors of its Over-the-Rhine brick-and-mortar in the spring of 2018. They have since expanded, opening a warehouse space in Dayton, Kentucky and an additional storefront in Covington in 2019.
But when the opportunity to move her OTR shop into the recently closed Kaze restaurant space on Vine Street, owner Anna Steffen says it was "everything (she's) ever dreamed of."
According to Steffen, the boutique will take over the main dining space of the former Japanese gastropub, blocking off the kitchen and splitting up portions of the room.
"This new space will allow me to completely start from scratch and design the space that functions best for us," she said in an email interview. "We are really excited to expand more into our home good selection. And, when COVID-19 isn't taking over our lives anymore, having a space to use for workshops and events."
In addition to more square footage, the space will also offer an abundance of natural light — a feature her current shop doesn't offer.
"Our current space at 1421 (Vine St.) is so long and not much natural light, so moving to a more spacious layout with all the natural lighting is going to open up a whole new merchandising aspect," Steffen said.
Inspired by her love of traveling, Steffen said the new location will feature stylistic ties to the West Coast.
During the transition, The Native One will be moving out of their Dayton warehouse and shifting all fulfillment to their Covington location at 326 Scott Blvd.
A current opening date has not yet been announced, but they aiming for mid-September.
You can currently shop online and view temporary shop hours at thenativeone.com.
