Kelly Mijares Aguilar and Abby Elstad are Dallas besties who just took their dreams on the road. Inspired by the growing popularity of food trucks and a yearning to open their own boutique, these two decided to shake up the local shopping scene with a store on wheels.
The result is Haute Wheels, and it's starting a parking-lot party near you.
"We wanted to appeal to the girl on the go, who's too busy to battle mall traffic and wants to be seen in an outfit that all her friends don't also have," Mijares says. "We wanted to offer convenience that doesn't break the bank, yet is still fashion forward and on trend."
The process started with some intense Pinterest sessions, during which the duo compiled color schemes and design and layout ideas. They found the ideal bus in Fort Worth, where it was formerly used as a shuttle at a retirement community.
The girls spent weeks at home stores picking everything out for the interior, and Mijares' husband did the interior installation. The exterior was completed by Tiger Wrapz.
Haute Wheels offers women's contemporary clothing, jewelry, handbags and accessories — all priced under $100. The boutique changes its inventory frequently and only keeps one size of each style to ensure that you won't show up to a party wearing the same dress as someone else.
Designers include Very J, LoveRiche, Good HYOUman, PPLA, Vintage Havana, Dex denim, Élan, Mo Vint, Paper Crane, Veronica M, 3 Strands, Rose Gonzalez and more. The mobile boutique also features local up-and-coming brands, in an effort to support the Dallas design community.
Where can you find Haute Wheels around town? In addition to posting a monthly schedule online, the girls are active on social media (@ShopHauteWheels), so customers can find them on the fly. Some days they park at multiple locations.
"We choose local hot spots and love telling customers to show up and we'll style them before they got inside the restaurant or bar," Mijares says.
Haute Wheels also does private parties and rewards the hostess with a gift card worth 10 percent of total sales from any booked events. Parties are tailored to the experience; for example, formal items for a bridal shower, festival chic for Coachella and summery pieces for a backyard barbecue.
Haute Wheels is Dallas' latest boutique on wheels.
