Locally owned boutique opens new location in Oshkosh

Rachel Kroeger

Staff

June 30, 2025

OSHKOSH – After “working in retail for a very, very long time,” it’s no wonder Nicole Rocheleau said selling her children’s hand-me-down clothes online eventually led to her opening not one, but two boutique clothing and jewelry locations.

“Sugar Rushlow Boutique started somewhere in 2016, and it didn’t start as the boutique it is now,” she said. “We have three kids, so we started selling their used clothing online. It was more out of necessity than anything. We didn’t have (a lot of) money, and you do anything you can just to make ends meet.”

Building her business through online marketplaces and pop-up booths, Rocheleau said it was several years before she decided to step into a brick-and-mortar location – first opening at 2125 S. Schaefer St. in Appleton before moving to the current 129 E. College Ave. address in August 2023.

“We started out with booth spaces,” she said. “We had a booth at (another local business) – Antique Up/Boutique Up (in Kimberly) – then we opened (our first) storefront a couple of months later… So, we were over on the southeast side of Appleton for about two years before we moved downtown to College Avenue.”

During Sugar Rushlow’s booth phase, Rocheleau said she and her family participated in a lot of markets and pop-up events in Oshkosh, which helped build “a huge customer following” in the area – making the lakeshore city a perfect option for her second location.

“While we were building in those first couple years, we did a lot of pop-up (and) crafter events, and many of those were in the Oshkosh area,” she said. “I believe that’s how we built the big following that we have today – just being out in the community and doing that.”

Now, a few years later – earlier this month, to be exact – Rocheleau said she and her team are celebrating Sugar Rushlow Boutique’s first month in business at its newest location at 424 N. Main St. in Oshkosh.

Sisters, not twins

With both stores offering a hand-picked selection of clothing and accessories, as well as ear piercing and permanent jewelry services, Rocheleau said it’s the vibe of each location that differentiates Sugar Rushlow’s Oshkosh store from the Appleton one.

“It is pretty similar (between both stores),” she said. “There are some things that are only available in Appleton, and then some exclusive brands that are available in Oshkosh, just to keep a little bit separate. (They have) a similar clothing style, similar jewelry style, (but) the stores themselves have a completely different vibe.”

The Appleton store, Rocheleau said, is more “eclectic” compared to the “clean” aesthetics of the Oshkosh location.

“I would say (the Oshkosh boutique) is like a sister store (to our Appleton location),” she said. “They’re very similar, but they have their own personalities.

Drawing on her experience in retail, Rocheleau said she feels confident in her ability to source products that she not only loves, but that her customers love as well.

“I worked at Yonkers seasonally and then, (when) we moved to the Appleton area, I worked at Macy’s for probably 10 years on and off,” she said. “I worked at a jewelry store for several years, too. Being exposed to all those different elements, (I was) able to create things that I love or things that I think my customers would love, and that definitely includes accessory items – especially jewelry.”

In an industry as saturated as retail, Rocheleau said offering permanent jewelry and ear piercing services helps set her apart from the competition, in addition to the unique jewelry and accessories sold at each Sugar Rushlow Boutique location.

“Jewelry is probably our second best seller, next to clothing, and with that, too, we’ve brought in permanent jewelry and ear piercing,” she said.

Though each location is regularly manned by a trained staff member or two, Rocheleau said it’s best for customers to call ahead of time and book an appointment to ensure someone is available to help them with either ear piercing or permanent jewelry installation.

“We always recommend calling ahead or scheduling an appointment, but walk-ins are welcome,” she said. “We just can’t guarantee you that somebody will be there or that we will have a time slot available.”

Offering a wide variety of options for permanent jewelry – “we can do bracelets, necklaces, anklets, rings, (etc.)” – Rocheleau said that service is becoming increasingly popular at Sugar Rushlow Boutique.

“It’s a huge draw – it’s so trendy right now and we do so many in Appleton,” she said. “Our customers from Oshkosh (used to) come that way (to get permanent jewelry).”

Now, Rocheleau said they don’t have to, as Sugar Rushlow’s permanent jewelry services are available at its Oshkosh location as well.

“We have charms available (and) different types of chains, (too),” she said. “We use sterling silver or gold-filled chains, and we can also do repairs and re-welds. So, if they got it done somewhere else, they can bring it in, we can take a look and sometimes we can help them out.”

‘Meant to be’

Prior to discovering the space Sugar Rushlow’s Oshkosh location now occupies, Rocheleau said she and her family had been looking at properties for “several months.”

“We looked at spaces in Oshkosh in October,” she said, “and then this space became available, pretty much overnight. It fell into our lap. It was just the perfect setup (and) perfect location.”

Officially opening the doors to Sugar Rushlow Boutique in Oshkosh June 7, Rocheleau said it took some time before the space was up to par with its Appleton sister.

“We had been ready to go with a storefront for several months before pulling the trigger,” she said. “Now, everything is just meant to be, and that’s really what I feel like happened with us in Oshkosh.”

Relying on the support of her husband – “my husband is fantastic, and he supports the business through and through” – and her continually growing staff, Rocheleau said her ability to run her business is made possible by them.

“Our team is fantastic, and I could not (have opened a second location) without them,” she said. “We hired three new staff members (when we opened in Oshkosh). So, we have two main ladies that are going to work the Oshkosh store, and then we have three part-time gals that work in Appleton.”

Though her two locations are separated by Lake Winnebago, Rocheleau said commuting and splitting her time between them has not been as difficult as one might expect.

“It’s not terribly far… 15-20 minutes of a drive, (so) it’s pretty easy to manage,” she said. “Going in, we already knew that we wanted the second location. So, I had everything written out on paper on how we were going to make this work. I’ve taken a step back, and I don’t work as much on the sales floor as I did in the past, so I’m able to focus on managing both of the stores.”

Though it’s not spelled the same, Rocheleau said it’s fun for her and her family that the business’s name pays homage to theirs.

“Rocheleau is our last name, and we use the phonetic spelling in the name of the store,” she said. “It is so hard to find a name that hasn’t been used or has been taken before, so it was really just different, a play on our last name and it was fun.”

For more on either of Sugar Rushlow Boutique’s locations, head to its website, sugarrushlow.com, or visit its social media pages.