Small Business Corner: Madd Style

Madd Style

Christine Bensko-Wecks is getting excited about the changes coming to Midtown.

For the past three years, she has steadily seen more business as the owner of Madd Style, a women's boutique carrying handbags, wallets, jewelry and clothing in the Scotch Pines Shopping Center, 2601 S. Lemay Ave. No. 16.

A former emergency veterinary technician, Bensko-Wecks opened the store as a Lillian's franchise in 2010 on a limited schedule, but soon realized she wanted to open the store seven days a week. She bought herself out of the franchise and renamed the store.

Madd Style is open Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, noon to 4 p.m. Bensko-Wecks employs two part-time employees.

"Many of the people that walk through here walk here because it's a local business," she said. "What I have learned here is that Fort Collins is big on word of mouth - if you can stay in business past two years. You've got to get over the first two-year hump."

The little shop is half a mile away from the Foothills Mall as the crow flies, but Bensko-Wecks is looking forward to the revitalization that's in store.

"I'm excited," she said. "I think it'll be great that people will start thinking there's more than one place to shop in town, and people will stop going to Denver and Loveland. Once it gets up and going, I think it'll be really nice to get some diversity in the shopping areas."

For more information on the store, go to madd-style.com.