5 things to know about Elitaire boutique in downtown Huntsville

elitaire 2 1 — Kayla Adams talked with us about the mission behind the her boutique. (Elitaire / Facebook)

If you’ve ever wandered inside Elitaire boutique while strolling along Clinton Row in Downtown Huntsville, you’ve experienced something special. We talked with the owner, Kayla Adams, and found out what Elitaire means to her and the mission that drives her.

What does the name mean?

Kayla chose the name “Elitaire” for a reason. Rumor has it that there’s a secret society in France called Elitaire (which means “the elite table”), but it’s so secret that people don’t know if it exists or not.

Huntsville’s Elitaire plays off that French “elite” concept, but not in the way you might expect.

“It’s not ‘elite’ in that you can’t obtain it. We may have investment pieces but we don’t want it to be so unattainable.”
Kayla Adams, owner of Elitaire

Instead, Kayla focuses on bringing fresh styles to Huntsville.

“It’s very elite in that all our brands are new to Huntsville. I wanted our things to stand out.”
Kayla Adams

How did it start?

Elitaire opened its doors on October 22, 2016 on Clinton Avenue in Downtown Huntsville. But before that was the inspiration.

Kayla always wanted to open up a boutique since she was a teenager. She went to college for marketing and fashion merchandising, and opening a boutique was always the goal. She just didn’t know where it would be.

When Kayla moved to Huntsville, she fell in love. But, it was hard for her to find her style among the more southern boutiques, and she wanted something more urban.

She had heard of what was going on downtown—how people were wanting to live, work and play in the same area and how small businesses were being supported.

“When we heard about the garage, we just thought, ‘That’s the perfect spot for Elitaire.'”
Kayla Adams

So, Elitaire was born.

What’s the mission?

Elitaire is all about bringing fresh styles and brands to Huntsville. If there’s a brand that’s already in Huntsville, they don’t carry it.

“That doesn’t create shopping synergy in our town. I want people to be able to go to all the boutiques and find something different.”
Kayla Adams

But that’s not all. Elitaire is “perfecting the art of timeless fashion for today’s modern woman.” Kayla wants to bring back the art of dressing and empower women through fashion.

“When you feel good about what you’re wearing, your life is empowered.”
Kayla Adams

Kayla loves getting to become friends with the customers and help them feel their best. They’re what drive her.

“When they come in and they’ve had a bad day and they leave happy—that’s what makes me want to keep doing it and finding better brands and more styles.”
Kayla Adams

What’s the style?

If you’ve ever shopped at Elitaire, you’ve probably seen Audrey Hepburn’s face. That’s part of Kayla’s inspiration for the feel of her boutique.

Growing up, Kayla and her mom would watch old-fashioned films like the ones that Audrey Hepburn starred in. She was inspired by the art of dressing from that period.

“The art of getting dressed has gone away from the ’50s and ’40s and from the Gatsby era.”
Kayla Adams

She wanted Elitaire to be a place where people could find that art again—a boutique with a big-city feel where you can get dressed up.

“You can be what you want to be for a day. It’s a fun thing to do to get dressed up and 100%.”
Kayla Adams

Kayla’s loves all the pieces she carries, especially leather. Some of her favorite brands are Elliatt, and Australian brand, and Able, a brand that gives back and helps women. But she’d wear anything in the store.

“Everything I put in my store I would personally wear. I’m not going to buy it just because it’s trendy.”
Kayla Adams

Who’s helping out in the boutique?

But Kayla’s not the only one helping people find new wardrobe pieces.

“The girls that work for us are so wonderful that they’ve become a part of Elitaire too.”
Kayla Adams

It used to be just Kayla, but now her employees—like Bethany and Katelyn—are a big part of it. They help out with all aspects of running the boutique, and they each bring their own style and twist.