With Mother’s Day coming up, the pressure to find the perfect gift can feel a little daunting. If you’re looking for something special, look no further than Sweet Creek Boutique located at 1542 W. Ocotillo Road in San Tan Valley.
The boutique, which will celebrate one year of being open on June 3, is co-owned by Nicole Onwuasor and her aunt, Tricha Diehl. Onwuasor, a former teacher, and Diehl, a former dental hygienist, are proud of the success the boutique has experienced in the past 11 months and love that they are able to help local vendors from Queen Creek and surrounding cities showcase their handmade goods.
“We actually have 29 small businesses showcased here in the boutique, each with their own dedicated space,” said Onwuasor. “We love that we can help local businesses show off their work, the local vendors we work with are amazing,” added Diehl.
Featured in the boutique are handcrafted items from all over the Valley such as candles by the Mali and Casey Candle Company, N’Ice Crème Butters body butters and scrubs, custom stickers by The Desert Sticker Company, home décor and apparel by The Sunny Nest and much more.
“The great thing about our vendors is that they are always bringing in new items, so what we offer changes all the time,” said Diehl. “We are so happy to have opened Sweet Creek and love that we now have regulars who stop by and bring their family or bring visitors from out of town.”
“It’s an intimate place and we love our Sweet Creek family, as we call them,” added Onwuasor.
This family-like atmosphere has been a blessing for Onwuasor and Diehl alike, as COVID made it very difficult for them to continue their normal 9-to-5 jobs. As the pandemic calmed down, Onwuasor was mostly a stay-at-home mom to her two boys by then and Diehl didn’t relish the thought of going back to work as a dental hygienist.
“I thought to myself, I don’t really want to go back to work,” Diehl said. “I miss the day-to-day hygienist work sometimes, but working for ourselves and running the boutique has been so rewarding. I wake up in the morning and I’m excited to come to work!”
For Onwuasor, working with her aunt has led to a more manageable schedule that she wouldn’t have as a teacher – including being able to bring her 10-week-old son to work.
“I like to say he’s our newest employee,” Onwuasor joked. “Sometimes I get a late start and I’m running behind; having your own place and working with family is great. It allows me to be a hot mess sometimes!”
While most of the items in the shop come from local vendors, there are five rooms in the boutique and to keep it fully stocked, Diehl and Onwuasor attend wholesale markets in places like Dallas and Las Vegas to purchase items from their showrooms. This gives them a chance to personally handpick all the items in the store, an important part of owning their own business.
“This isn’t a job for us,” Onwuasor explained. “It was a dream for us to have our own place and offer unique items to our customers.”
In addition to operating the store Wednesday through Friday, Diehl and Onwuasor, who are Queen Creek and Gilbert residents respectively – also offer pop-up markets outside the shop to showcase vendors who aren’t normally displayed in the store.
“We like to host pop-up markets and give other vendors a chance to bring their items,” said Onwuasor. “We’ll include businesses such as Pampered Chef and permanent jewelry to attend so they have an opportunity to sell their items and services while offering our customers more variety.”
Sweet Creek Boutique’s next pop-up, their May Spring Fling, will be on Saturday, May 13 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will include 20 local vendors and gifts perfect for Mother’s Day.
As the one-year anniversary of being open draws closer, Diehl and Onwuasor can’t help but reflect on the past year and how much their little shop means to them.
“It’s been so fun. I can’t believe a year has gone by,” said Onwuasor. “We just love it.”
If you’d like to learn more about Sweet Creek Boutique, visit their Facebook page here. The shop is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.
