Good things are happening in Ronceverte! Years ago, downtown Ronceverte was filled with stores.
The passage of time and events like the pandemic shutdowns closed down several businesses, while
others remained open. In 2023, seven new businesses opened their doors, and a group of committed
citizens determined to revitalize Ronceverte as a destination for good food, good shopping, and good
times sprang into action. The businesses include a variety store, eateries, a tavern, and more. This is the
first in a multi-part series I will be doing on the Ronceverte Renaissance, where I will highlight one of
these new places and planned events each month.
This month’s highlighted business is Mountain Momma Boutique, a unique place owned by local moms Sunny Sanchez and Tess Mitchell. Mountain Momma Boutique has existed since 2021, but in June of 2023, Sunny and Tess moved their store to Edgar Avenue. Sunny, a Ronceverte native, wanted to do her part in bringing life back to her hometown.
Mountain Momma Boutique offers women’s clothing and accessories, and children’s clothing. Styles are primarily seasonal. Currently, the focus is on fall and winter, with oversize jackets and sweaters. They do carry a brand of t-shirt by BNA Designs, made by local resident Erika Baker. Baker does different designs for holidays, the seasons, and she also designs hats for the boutique.
When asked about her favorite aspect of being in the Edgar Avenue location, Sunny answered, “I love the people. All of the business owners down here are amazing. They want to work together and they want to make this a better place. It’s very welcoming, and it’s just very nice to be in this area.”
When asked what her favorite thing about Mountain Momma is, Sunny replied, “I’m a mom of two boys. Tess and I both have kids, and this is our thing for us. It’s very fun to try on clothes, and we like to help our community. When we named (our store) Mountain Momma, it’s because we’re mamas. We just enjoy it so much.”
In October 2023, Sunny (a survivor) and Tess did a breast cancer walk that raised over $1,500 for the American Cancer Society. The Ronceverte business community pulled together for a great cause. All the businesses supported the women by decorating, participating, and providing goody bags and coupons for the participants. The women plan to make this walk an annual event. They also plan to expand and change the date so even more people can participate.
When asked one main thing she’d like the Hashtag readers to know about Mountain Momma Boutique, Sunny said, “It’s Tess and me. We are a small business. We try our hardest to get what customers want, and we try hard to keep everything at a reasonable price, because things are hard these days. If we can’t afford things, we don’t want to try to make other people empty their pockets for something they want. We’ll hold things for people if they want anything. They can just message us. We will even meet people in Lewisburg or other places, just to try to accommodate. We know things can get hectic, and people work, so we try our best to accommodate our customers.”
Mountain Momma Boutique is normally open on Thursday 12 – 5, Friday 12 – 6, and Saturday 10 – 4. Being moms, life (and school events/practices) do happen, so if those hours change, they will always post on their social media pages if that’s the case. The boutique also occasionally opens on other days for special events or holidays. If they aren’t open, they’ll meet people on lunch breaks, etc., to try to accommodate their customers’ schedules. That’s another advantage of supporting local businesses, and something that makes Mountain Momma Boutique so special: that personal touch and willingness to go extra steps for the customer.
You can find out more about Mountain Momma Boutique on their Facebook Page (Mountain Momma Boutique), and Instagram (Mountain Momma Boutique.)
