Where there once was ice cream and chocolates, there will now be T-shirts and local products.
This week, the Just Be Boutique will open its doors and bring life back to 62 N. Main St. Since Cool Moose Creamery closed two years ago, the storefront has been empty. The vacant space and its large, empty windows have served as a constant reminder that Main Street business isn’t exactly booming.
Enter Michelle Lienhart. The Webster resident is the mastermind behind Just Be – a T-shirt company with a message to, well, just be. Lienhart’s company has had success since its creation in June 2008. Its website, justbe.net, keeps consumers coming back with features beyond an online shop, such as free desktop wallpaper and a spot for fans to submit photos of them sporting the gear. Plus, around 25 retailers stock Just Be tees. Still, Lienhart had grander visions for the Just Be brand.
The shop will carry not only Lienhart’s T-shirt line but also locally-made goods such as jewelry, purses, recycled tote bags, lotions, soaps and more.
“Anything for the body, on the body,” Lienhart explained.
During the last two holiday seasons, Lienhart sold her T-shirts at the Mall of New Hampshire in Manchester. For her first year, she sold from one of the mall’s kiosks. By the second year, she had so much product that she built her own kiosk-like structure equipped with more wall space to hang her T-shirts.
Realizing it was time to kiss kiosks goodbye, Lienhart inquired about the possibility of getting a storefront at the mall for this season. She was told there was no room.
She took this as a positive sign. No room at the mall meant that the economy was doing better. Also, it pushed Lienhart to go after something she wanted more.
“I’ve always dreamt of having a Main Street store,” Lienhart said.
Concord was a natural choice – it was close to home and Just Be already had a presence in the community thanks to Lienhart’s appearances at the Concord Arts Market and Market Days. Lienhart signed a two-month lease to get her through the holidays. After that, she’s allowed to renew her lease in six-month increments. “It’s sort of no risk,” Lienhart said, adding that she hopes it turns into something permanent.
“If this works out maybe I can set up a second shop in Portsmouth, Hanover or Keene,” she said with an optimistic twinkle in her eye.
It doesn’t seem like such a far-fetched goal considering the attention the tees have been getting lately. Not only is Just Be part of the wardrobe in an upcoming film shot in the Granite State called “Duxton County,” but Lienhart was also asked to design the official tee for the Be The Shift project. The project is the brainchild of Chaske Spencer who plays Sam Uley in the oh-so-popular Twilight movie series.
Log onto justbe.net and see where else Just Be has made an appearance. The first image the pops up on the website is a shot taken during the semi-finals of last season’s American Idol. Winner Lee DeWyze is seen sporting Lienhart’s “Just Be the Music” tee.
A fan of the show, Lienhart sent a catalogue to its wardrobe person. She didn’t think anything would come of it, but figured it was worth the shot. “When I saw him (DeWyze) wearing the tee, I jumped out of my chair!” Lienhart said.
Despite national attention, Lienhart is still all about keeping it local. “It’s very important to keep money in the community,” Lienhart said. She’s already working with her Main Street neighbors to create coupon flyers and events to draw people to downtown. She hopes to get Concord-area musicians involved by playing their music in her store and having live bands during special events.
There’s one thing she definitely won’t be doing, however. “I have people ask if we will still be serving ice cream,” she laughed. “Nope!”
(For more information about the shop, call Just Be at 369-3699 or visit the store’s website at
justbe.net.)
