photo by Alex Maness

From the road, Josie’s Boutique looks like a quaint Southern home, complete with a porch swing and hanging baskets. But once you enter its doors, this Oak Ridge “home” becomes a haven for anyone searching for jewelry, handbags, home décor, or one-of-a-kind gifts.

“It has sort of a ‘wow’ effect,” owner Joyce Biggs says with a smile. Biggs, who formerly worked as an office manager, says she had always wanted to open a shop. Several years ago, she and her granddaughter set up a jewelry booth at a local fall festival and enjoyed themselves so much that it encouraged Biggs to pursue her dream.

Until 2004, Biggs sold products straight from her home. But when a small house on Oak Ridge Road became available, she transformed it into a five-room store and opened her doors for business.

Today, the boutique’s shelves, walls, tables, and baskets hold so many treasures that first-time visitors often ask “Where do I start?” One room contains more than 100 boxed necklace and earring sets, ranging from delicate pastel chokers and pearl studs to brightly colored hoops and waist-length strands. Purse lunchboxes, Red Hat Society items, college logo handbags, and snowball rings are other gifts that greet visitors. Biggs also sells accessories for teens, handmade soap, note cards, and framed signs with such whimsical sayings as “Chocolate makes your clothes shrink.”

A self-proclaimed shopaholic, Biggs takes pleasure in buying new items for her store. However, another favorite feature of her job is interacting with shoppers. In referring to the several hundred regular visitors who come by to chat and explore the latest offerings, Biggs says, “They have all become friends, from [age] 0 to 99.”

Josie’s Boutique (2204 Oak Ridge Rd., Oak Ridge; 336-643-6202) is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. In December, it is open every day except Sunday.