Teacher, boutique owner, takes journeys to brick-and-mortar

Sue Grossardt

Contributor

May 4, 2026

MANITOWOC – A teacher by day and boutique owner by night, Melissa Zipperer brings her background in psychology into her new venture, Jemm Boutique, 807B N. 8th St., Manitowoc. 

Zipperer said she has taught at Reedsville High School for more than 18 years, though her impact has reached well beyond the classroom. 

“I teach family and consumer science to juniors and seniors,” she said. “I have my master’s in educational counseling – which allows me to teach five dual-credit classes – as well as in psychology and sociology, which serves as a teaching prep class taught through Lakeshore College and the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.”

Zipperer said she started her education career as a guidance counselor but quickly realized she “loved being in the classroom.”

She said she returned to school for her teaching certificate, began teaching at the middle school level and was later asked by the superintendent to move up to the high school.

Zipperer said she also teaches summer school and oversees the after-school program.

Though devoted to education, she said she has always had a strong passion for fashion and shopping.

Owning a boutique has been a dream of hers, Zipperer said, taking small steps in that direction for a handful of years.

“I’ve always wanted to open a boutique, but I never wanted to give up teaching, because I love coaching my students along,” she said. “I love my students.”

Starting the boutique off gradually, Zipperer said she started holding pop-up sales, plus online sales, along with events in October 2023. 

“[My business] was online for a short time, but later that year, I began selling my merchandise at area craft shows and evening markets,” she said.

In 2024, Zipperer said she participated in 30 events, and last year that number climbed to 56.

“Every weekend, I was packing up and unpacking [my merchandise] – it was very time-consuming,” she said. “I would come home from school, pack up my car on a Friday night, and then Saturday morning, I would have to leave around 5 a.m. in order [to get to] the shows. In the summer, I did quite a few weeknight shows as well.” 

Zipperer said she told her family she was going to be done with her business in order to spend more time with them, especially with the addition of her new grandson.

“I realized the shows weren’t going to give me the time I wanted with my grandson, so I was going to hang it up,” she said. “I [announced] to my family that when December comes, that will be my last show.”

Once that reality set in, Zipperer said so did the emotions.

“As the [end of my pop-up events] got closer, I started feeling really sad and began to realize, ‘I may not be ready to give it up,’” she said. “I was visiting a local boutique – the Honey Shoppe in Sherwood – along with some other vendors, [and] we all began talking about a collaborative effort to open a boutique. Together, we looked at the space that would be the future home of our boutique.”

Zipperer said though the other vendors ultimately decided they didn’t have the time or financial commitment needed to make the partnership work, she still wanted to move forward with the venture. 

“I just kept thinking about the [the idea] when my husband finally said, ‘Why don’t you just do it?’” she said.

When the decision to continue pursuing her boutique dream was made, Zipperer said the location she found for the shop was ideal on multiple levels. 

“I just fell in love with it right away – it was just perfect,” she said. “It had been a boutique prior to us, just a few years before. It had great bare bones, and we didn’t have to do anything to [customize it]. The flooring and walls were complete.”

Zipperer said the location of Jemm Boutique is also ideal.

“We are located in a spot that could be considered downtown, but actually is not downtown,” she said. “People can enjoy the neighborhood on a Saturday, get some coffee and then wander over to my store and then go to Ivy Trails Lakeshore for the kids. We are really creating a destination where visitors aren’t just stopping for one thing – they are enjoying multiple shops. This will bring people to the area.”

After signing the lease in January and holding a grand opening last month, Zipperer said the boutique is beginning with a soft opening, currently open Thursday through Sunday and planning to expand hours over the summer.

She said she also plans to hire staff to cover shifts when she is not in the store.

“That will be somewhat difficult for me as I’m kind of a control freak,” she said. “I’ve learned to trust people, and I do what I need to do to allow someone else to also be a part of the business when I can’t be. It’s very important for me to get to know my customers and to be here as much as I can.”

A peek inside

Merchandise selection, Zipperer said, is one of her favorite parts of owning a boutique.

“I’m trying to appeal to everyone as I begin to determine my client base,” she said. “I’m also focusing on showcasing high-quality merchandise. I love boutique shopping. I am the biggest fan – I love supporting other boutiques.”

Though there are two other boutiques in town, Zipperer said both have a distinctly different focus than what Jemm Boutique plans to offer.

“The merchandise in our [neighboring] boutiques focuses more on the professional client with business casual attire for when you’re dressing up to go somewhere,” she said. “My clothes could be considered more casual, like something you wear on the weekends. While I do have things that people can wear to work, my attention is on clothing that is just fun, unique and more everyday kind of wear.”

Zipperer said the boutique will offer clothing focused on comfort, quality and softness – pieces meant to be worn repeatedly.

She said the plan is for the store to carry something for everyone, from jeans to dresses – with styles designed for women of all ages and sizes, including petite and plus.

Zipperer said family served as the inspiration for the boutique’s name, with J-E-M-M representing the first initials of the women in the family: Janyssa, Ellyanna, Macailey and herself, Melissa.

Beyond serving as inspiration for the boutique’s name, Zipperer said some of her family also wants to be involved in the store itself. 

“Our youngest, 16-year-old Kenson, also wants to be a part of the business and desires to work in the store,” she said. “I think the customers will love having him around.”

Zipperer said having three daughters in different stages of life has served as a guide for her when it comes to selecting merchandise.

“Janyssa is a college student; I try to find things I’m confident she and her friends will like,” she said. “Macailey recently had a baby, so her wardrobe needs to be in a bit of a transition right now, where she needs to be in mom [mode] and not a high school girl anymore.”

Zipperer said women in her own age group also enjoy the boutique’s merchandise.

“We recently chaperoned a trip abroad with our high school juniors and seniors,” she said. “Some of the moms were coming on the trip and browsed the store’s merchandise for the journey. I definitely have things for every age. I am tailoring our products to fit the needs of the community.”

Zipperer said she hasn’t forgotten about tweens, either.

“We even have tween girl clothing from size seven to 14, mainly because there are really no other boutiques that carry that size nearby,” she said. “I am [testing it out] and want to see how that will go.” 

Recognizing that customers come in many shapes and sizes, Zipperer said the boutique will offer services designed to meet those needs.

“I would say the bulk of our sizing ranges from extra small to large,” she said. “That’s how most of the clothing comes to us – in packages with two of each size from extra small to large.”

Zipperer said jeans at the boutique are all hung up and noticeably vary in length.

“We plan on offering something new called raw hemming, where you cut the raw bottoms to fit the length,” she said. “I’ve been practicing.”

Zipperer said the shop’s accessory line includes facial products and sugar scrubs from Winter Creek Farm, along with jewelry, scarves and a build-your-own candle bar where customers can mix and match scented wax beads.

She said Jemm Boutique plans to collaborate on events with neighboring businesses, including a boutique hop with Ivy Trails Lakeshore and a Mom and Me event – which is set for May 8. 

“Boutiques are fans of other boutiques,” she said. “My feeling is there is room for everyone. Everyone has something different. Very rarely do I carry something that another boutique carries. I’m more about community than competition.”

Rooted in passion

Zipperer said opening a brick-and-mortar store has always been rooted in her passion for connecting with people, and this passion made it difficult to abandon the plan.

“I love meeting new people,” she said. “I love having customers who would say, ‘I saw you at the [craft] show and saw you were going to be here and had to come.’ I really enjoy getting to hear people’s stories.”

Zipperer said she also enjoys helping women feel confident and comfortable in their everyday lives.

“I want people to feel Jemm is more than just a boutique,” she said. “We want them to feel very welcome here. We want everyone to be able to find something they love and feel good wearing. We also just want to offer a fun shopping experience.” 

Zipperer said she knows some people dread shopping, but she hopes to change that experience.

“How often do you hear, ‘I’ve got to go shopping for a dress for this wedding, and I’m kind of dreading it?’” she said. “We want to change people’s attitudes a little bit about shopping.”

Zipperer said she already sees an opportunity to connect her classroom work with her boutique, integrating what she does at the store into her fashion and sewing class. 

“It’ll be kind of fun to integrate things I do at the store with my students,” she said. “I may even do a field trip to the store. They keep trying to talk me into that.”

Check out Jemm Boutique’s Facebook page for more information.