About Us

Welcome to Bolt Boutique! 

    My name is Abby and I am the owner/creator of Bolt! Our mission is to help woman feel confident with clothing that is unique, wearable, and high quality!

    No one wants to dress the exact same as everyone else. At Bolt, we always want to offer pieces that are special and feel one of a kind, but also aren't so overly trendy that you only wear them once. We avoid cheap fabrics that don't last long and are bad for the environment, and we only buy from vendors that we know put quality effort into their designs. Being able to style your new pieces different ways and for many seasons is what makes fashion fun and exciting!

 
 

Our Story

   I started Bolt when I was 21 years old, during my senior year of college at the University of Missouri. I always knew I wanted to start an online store, but I wanted to wait until I was a little closer to graduating to really dive in. January 1st, 2018 I registered my business, February 12th I went to market in Las Vegas, and March 28th I officially launched Bolts website and first few pieces!

    Early in Bolt’s life, I worked part time jobs as a waitress and a sales associate at a larger retail company while running Bolt out of my parent's basement. We would have neighbors and friends come over and shop in our basement like an at-home boutique! I also travelled a lot and hosted pop up shops at different sororities, homes, and holiday events! 

 

    To be real, the first 2 years of Bolt were a struggle. Here is a blog post that I made mid-struggle bus. I would hope to get at least one order a day during this time. I was so crushed and didn't know if the business would be able to continue.

 

    At this point, my husband Caleb did the most loving thing possible and encouraged me to quit my retail job and go full time with Bolt to see if this thing was sustainable or not. So I made that risky decision in February of 2020, and just as I did that- BANG! Covid hit. And WOW did that change some things in our business model. We were no longer able to rely on in-person pop up shops and events, but actually had to grow our online presence. If you want to hear the full story, I made a video on the matter here. Covid changed a lot of the ways we operated at Bolt, but also opened doors for so many new opportunities.

 

    By July of 2020, Caleb quit his job doing data analysis consulting to become a co-owner at Bolt! Caleb has been a huge help to the team, taking the skills and tools he used in the corporate world and applying them to our business to help grow Bolt faster than we could have imagined! A few months later we hired our first intern Harper! Harper was so sweet and was been a huge help in making Bolt what it is today. If you want to read more in depth of 2020 check out this post.

 

    On March 28th, 2022, Bolt celebrated it’s 4th Birthday! Getting to work side by side with my husband and watching this small business grow has been such a gift from God! Only God knows what is in store, and that gives us a lot of peace. Our hope is in Jesus alone and not in this business, and we have seen that remain true through the ups and down of Bolt.

 

Get To Know Us

   

    Caleb and I started dating in high school, and we both graduated from the University of Missouri. Caleb graduated with a degree in marketing and started a job in data analytics! I personally went into college knowing I wanted to own my own clothing boutique, so I majored in business management and earned minors in fashion merchandising and entrepreneurship! Together we have lived in St. Louis, Kansas City, and now Phoenix, AZ! We love keeping an open hand and seeing where the Lord takes us.

 

    Trusting God with Bolt is really our goal. We always want to point our lives back to Jesus and what He has done for us on the cross. Honoring Him in our business is just one way we get to do that. We always want to lead Bolt with integrity and we want to use every opportunity to help others along the way. We donate to Hope For Justice to help end human trafficking, and we sponsor two overseas missionaries through Campus Outreach. John 4:19 “We love because Jesus first loved us”.

This is hopefully just the beginning of our giving journey!

 

    Thank you for supporting our small business and our family! We are so thankful for each and every one of you!

 
Much Love, XOXO
Abby & Caleb Howard  

Check out our vlog for a behind the scenes look into our day-to-day lives married while building Bolt!

Feel free to email me with any questions you have about items, orders, shipping, or our mission! 
Email at: boltclothingboutique@gmail.com    -    Instagram: @boltboutique    -    Facebook: @boltclothingboutique