Snug & Thistle
A boutique where fashion is the hook & mentorship is the mission
As Callan Parker looks confidently into the camera, she works her way around the city’s freshest boutique, Snug & Thistle. Touching the fabrics as she walks by, she describes the textures and colors and takes time to show off a local artist’s unique jewelry featured in the store.
“You won’t find anything like this anywhere else in Billings. These are rare finds and would make perfect additions to your wardrobe,” she says proudly. The clip, posted on social media, invites viewers to shop and see for themselves.
“I’ve learned so much working here,” Callan says. “Accountability and being responsible for my job. To be confident in myself and to keep eye contact with my customers.”
That’s saying a lot considering the boutique where she works, Snug & Thistle, has only been open for a few months and Callan is just 13 years old. She’s not actually employed by the boutique; rather, she’s being mentored by the owners.
When Wendy Samson retired several years ago, starting another business wasn’t on her mind. For 36 years, she owned and operated FutureSync International, an organizational development firm. She traveled the country consulting corporations, developing leadership programs and coaching women leaders. When she retired, her plans were to slow down, spend more time with her husband, Mike, and enjoy her grandchildren.
But Wendy hadn’t taken into consideration her deep desire to be creative. Looking for an outlet, she met with long-time friend Sue Dow, also retired, and the two jumped into something that neither one of them thought possible.
While discussing ways to channel their creativity, Wendy decided designing and decorating hats would be fulfilling. She convinced Sue to join her. They gathered around Wendy’s kitchen table with hats and supplies spread out before them, and set out to transform a plain hat into a work of art.
“I loved it,” Wendy says. “And I wanted Sue to feel the same way.”
“It took me about two minutes to realize this wasn’t me,” Sue laughs. “But I didn’t give up, I’ve always wanted to make jewelry, so that’s what I did. I bought supplies and taught myself how to solder.”
Wendy’s hats soon gained the attention of a few local nonprofits looking for unique fundraiser items. And, when several women asked if she would host hat-design parties, she didn't hesitate to say yes.
“The conversations that took place around the table were amazing,” Wendy says. “The collection of women and what they had to offer each other was something I couldn’t get out of my mind. I just had to figure out what to do with it.”
With Mike’s help and Sue’s encouragement, they thought about ways to continue bringing people together under the umbrella of a business.
“We thought a pop-up boutique would be fun,” Wendy says, “I had hats. Sue had her jewelry. My friends, Wendi Waite, had cupcakes and Tawnya Yarger had Montana-made tallow skin care. I ordered a line of clothing to sell, and we hosted three pop-up boutiques in a salon.”
The setup and teardown took the excitement out of the process quickly. That’s when the idea of a brick-and-mortar store started to take shape.
“It was Mike really, that pushed for that,” Wendy says. “We pulled up to this location and his first words were, ‘This looks like full-time and that’s not what we’re doing.’ But something clicked when we went inside. He looked around and said, ‘If we’re going to do this, we’re going to do it right.’ That was a God-knock moment for me.”
Doing it right meant the right business plan, the right product, the right people and the right mission.
“My journey with Snug & Thistle has been similar to how FutureSync evolved,” Wendy continues. “Once things started happening, it really took on a life of its own. We know we’re unique. The women are always saying there’s a vibe here, an energy. They like to hang out and visit. It’s become kind of a community hub.”
The boutique, located at 3178 Gabel Road, is filled with fashionable pieces attractive to women from young teens to all the way up to women in their 80s. Open three days per week, Snug & Thistle carries several clothing lines, in addition to local artisans’ products.
That’s not all that sets it apart. Not only are customers pampered like guests, the current “employees” don’t draw a paycheck. They are either family members or friends. But it’s the unique mentorship program that blends financial teachings with real world experience that has Snug & Thistle excited. It’s in its infancy, and Callan is the unofficial first member — a natural as she’s also Sue’s granddaughter. Wendy’s 9-year-old granddaughter, Gray, also spends time at the shop, but is a bit younger than the teenagers who will be targeted for the program.
“When we saw how intrigued our granddaughters are with the idea of clothes and fashion and merchandizing, we realized that this is the hook,” Sue says. “This is the interest for young girls that could attract them to more.”
“There’s a correlation between personal accountability and self-esteem, self-worth and self-concept,” Wendy adds. “I had all these ‘what if?’ questions. What if we came up with a program to teach them financial responsibility and, at the same time, give them a real-world setting to see how to apply those skills?”
Partnering with Western Security Bank, which will offer financial literacy expertise, and Wendy’s own background of leadership teaching, a three-month program is now in the development stages.
Brett Solberg of Western Security will be the financial instructor. “We are excited to partner with Snug & Thistle,” he says. “The students will learn healthy financial habits, including understanding budgets, credit, savings and how to set financial goals.”
Heather Petty, the founder and executive director of Love and SONshine Ministries is excited that the program will be offered to young women enrolled in her program. The nonprofit provides housing, mentoring and life skills training to homeless or at-risk pregnant teens and young mothers.
“This mentoring program would align perfectly with what we are trying to accomplish,” she says. “Our goal is to get our women to the point of independence, and giving them the skills to succeed is essential.”
Building confidence, learning financial responsibilities and being able to implement what they are learning in a real-world fashion is a goal that all three agree will benefit the young women.
“I want to see their creativity,” Wendy says. “We explained the concept, now let’s look at the boutique and see what skills we need to make something like this happen — whether it’s money up front or loans, inventory, setting up. What does that look like and what steps do you need to take to accomplish it? It will be an amazing experience for all of us.”
SNUG & THISTLE is located at 3178 Gabel Road or find them online at thesnugandthistle.com. For more on the store’s mentoring opportunities, call 406-672-5982.
