Pictured: Kait Poepperling and her mother, Sharon Mautz, opened Poppy Jane in Downtown Sarasota in November. Photo courtesy of Kait Poepperling.

When Poppy Jane Co. opened its doors in Downtown Sarasota this November, it marked both a homecoming and a new chapter for co-owners and mother-daughter pair Sharon Mautz and Kait Poepperling, who have spent nearly a decade building their business together. What began eight years ago as a small online venture run out of a guest bedroom in Mautz’s home has evolved into a family-run boutique with an online store and locations in St. Petersburg and now, Sarasota.

Poepperling and Mautz originally launched their business after relocating from Pennsylvania to Florida in 2017—Mautz had spent years in a corporate finance career and wanted a change. Opening a clothing boutique together was an easy decision. “Whenever we got to spend time together, we would always go shopping,” says Poepperling. “Our favorite thing to do was go to lunch and find cool, unique clothing stores. When my mom wanted to leave the corporate world, she asked me to start a business with her, and a clothing store was the first thing that was on our minds, because that's what we love doing together.”

Now, the pair’s shared vision is reflected in their carefully curated selection. The boutique focuses primarily on women’s clothing that balances trend-forward style with comfort and wearability, offered at an affordable price point. “We've always carried women's everyday, trendy clothing, but we also really try to focus on comfort. We make sure the fit of all our clothes is really good,” says Poepperling. While women’s apparel makes up about 90 percent of the store, the Sarasota location is introducing new additions, including a baby gift section and a men’s collection curated by Poepperling’s husband.

That family dynamic extends behind the scenes as well. Poepperling, who studied marketing in college, handles the branding and creative direction of their business, while Mautz oversees the financial aspects of running the boutique. “It's a good ‘dynamic duo’ between the two of us, because my mom wouldn't be able to do what I do, and I wouldn't be able to do what she does,” says Poepperling.

Opening a store on Main Street in Downtown Sarasota has long been a dream for Poepperling, who lives in the area. Although the boutique had a location at the University Town Center mall for several years before closing in 2024, she always felt that the downtown area would better suit Poppy Jane. When Poepperling finally found the right space, she jumped at the opportunity and opened the new location after just 22 days.

Looking ahead, Poepperling plans to continue refining the Sarasota store’s collection based on customers’ interests, expanding product lines and growing the business’s online presence. For now, though, she’s savoring the moment. “This downtown location has been my goal for a really long time. So I’m just enjoying this for the moment,” she says.

Poppy Jane Co., 1476 Main St, Sarasota, poppyjaneco.com

Pictured: Kait Poepperling and her mother, Sharon Mautz, opened Poppy Jane in Downtown Sarasota in November. Photo courtesy of Kait Poepperling.