Boutique fulfills mother's dream

Anything Goes Boutique fulfills a mother's dream

LAFAYETTE — The effervescent Colleen Vanderveen recently started following a passion of her own that started as her mother's dream: to own a boutique selling fun and unique items. Anything Goes Boutique opened last month in Lafayette Village and already, Vanderveen says she sees customers returning again and again to see what's new. Sometimes they ask her to put things on hold because, as she said, "It's a constant evolution here with new products just about daily. When it's gone, it's gone."

Vanderveen's enthusiasm shows from the way she greets her customers to the way she displays her goods to the way she's always thinking about what she can add or change. She says she was "inspired" by Lafayette Village's "country charm."

The Stockholm resident has created a "SoHo style" boutique that caters to the "sophisticated and educated customer." She's also added a flair for fun with her jewelry, handbags, signs and accessory offerings.

Vanderveen has lived in the Garden State all of her life. She was born and raised in Kinnelon then married and built a house in West Milford, where she raised her children. "That is where my selling of jewelry started," she said. "My mother had always wanted to own a store and sell 'things' as she used to say. She thought it would be a fun family adventure."

But her mother died before she could make her dream a reality. That's where Vnderveen's drive to own her own shop came from. "It made me want to sell 'things' too."

With the help of her husband, she started a small jewelry business called "Anything Goes." She sold unique pieces at house parties and flea markets "wherever and whenever." She said she worked from home and "loved it."

Finding an opportunity
Fast forward to now, Vanderveen is divorced and has lived in Stockholm for the past 12 years. "I remembered how fun it was selling jewelry and accessories, so I again started doing house parties and flea markets. It was always my dream to own a store and sell more stuff... fun stuff." One day she sat down and had a heart-to-heart talk with a friend. She assured me to 'just do it.' She had heard of an opening in Lafayette Village and jumped on the opportunity.

"My little dream sparked by my mother has come true," Vanderveen says. She opened on April 21 in Building E, which is by the Village's pond. "It's a peaceful setting with ducks right outside my door."

In addition to the accessories, she is also carrying a cosmetic line called Sensible Addictions. "The owners approached me about carrying their products. I tried them and loved them, so am glad to support a local company by selling their goods in my store. I am open to other vendors approaching me to carry their lines as well. That's part of my ever-evolving store: anything goes."

As for her products, Vanderveen does all of the buying herself. "You can mix and match and make it work," she says. Her store display may look one way today and another tomorrow as she intermingles glitz and glam with "bling" and things with a Parisian influence to those hard-to-find biker studs and skulls. "I love to ride my Harley and I know it was always difficult for me to find cool biker accessories, so that's one niche I wanted to fill. I carry many different things for the rock and roll 'biker chick' too."

"Now every day I say to myself, 'I am a boutique owner in the dog-friendly Lafayette Village and loving every minute of it.' Life is short. Enjoy it and treat yourself. Thanks mom."

Anything Goes Boutique is located in Lafayette Village at the corners of Routes 15 and 94. For further information, phone 973-978-7108 or e-mail Vanderveen at anything-goes-retail@hotmail.com.

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