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Bleu Wonder: Carina Dupree’s Sunset Beach boutique is a destination for the fashion-forward
By Ashley Daniels
After 30-plus years of working in the dentistry field, Carina Dupree decided to do a full career makeover and bought Bleu Boutique in Sunset Beach, North Carolina.
“And it’s been fantastic,” says Dupree of her profession switch.
She recently bought the boutique specializing in women’s apparel from former store owner Monica Vogel, who wanted to retire after 12 years in business. Originally from Pennsylvania, Dupree says her clientele here in Sunset is more vast.
“We’re here at the beach, so when we think of the store, we kind of think of generational shopping,” she says, “because families come to visit the beach together. I want everyone to be able to find something that they like here, so we’re open-ended in our demographics. … It’s a fun store. It’s unique!”
In addition to women’s apparel (dresses, gowns, skirts, outerwear and jackets, T-shirts and tops, jeans, and slacks), expect Bleu merchandise to include Consuela handbags and accessories, handmade jewelry from artists across the country, home goods, and shoes.
“We also have some baby items, like onesies and things like that, so you can even find things for the new grandbabies, moms, and grandmas,” says Dupree. “We do have a couple of vintage things, like furniture and light fixtures, but all the clothing is new, of course.”
She carries on the Bleu tradition to serve as a fashion destination for women, offering a diverse range of clothing and accessories. Bleu’s collections are carefully curated to reflect a balance of the latest trends and timeless classics, with only quality designs stocked and sold.
Dupree, who says she likes to paddleboard and run when she’s not manning the store, says she finds that best-selling apparel brands include THML and G Lifestyle because of the generous sizing. She also often hears feedback from her Charlotte, North Carolina shoppers that she needs to open a second Bleu in the Queen City.
“Heck, no,” Dupree says in reply with a laugh. “But we do have the online store, which is currently being revamped to make it more in line with what we carry here in the store instead of drop shipping. Right now, we have different things online.”
The website, Bleuboutiquesunset.com, is also getting a facelift because, for the brick-and-mortar store, Dupree orders a limited number of pieces and sizes in her inventory and never reorders the same items.
“Because of the uniqueness of our orders, it was hard to have the website mimic that unless there was a POS system that can track your inventory, and we didn’t have that, so it’s being revamped, and hopefully, it will be right in line with what we have here,” says Dupree.
Hopefully, the website will be updated in time for holiday shopping. Bleu has hosted a hustle and bustle of pre-holiday events, including a holiday kickoff party with local artists on hand in the parking lot and a Black Friday sale.
For December, Dupree plans to schedule ladies’ shopping nights and Mimosa Sundays. A special event held on the third Sunday of every month is a Paws Pantry fundraiser. You can make a donation of food or monetary value, and Bleu will give you 10 percent off your purchase.
For more information on Bleu and updates on special events, visit Bleuboutiquesunset.com and check out their social media pages on Facebook and Instagram.
