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Stacy Altenor credits her drive to sell to her time as a Girl Scout. Being able to talk to people and have control of a conversation was something she enjoyed in her youth, and now, she’s turned this drive into a business with her friend Clarice Crosby.

Their boutique, The Spot, which makes custom apparel and jewelry, opened April 10 in downtown Syracuse. To celebrate the store’s opening, Crosby and Altenor hosted a 12-hour, marathon-style grand opening where they lowered all of their prices and advertised on social media.

Altenor began making custom apparel, such as T-shirts and dresses, when she was 21 years old. She started selling the clothing out of her home under the business name J.O.B, which stood for Just Over Broke, and used Facebook, Instagram and TikTok to sell her items and gain customers. Crosby started making jewelry when her daughter received a jewelry-making kit from a friend.

“Someone bought a jewelry-making kit for my daughter when she was a late preteen, early teens, and it was something that we did together,” Crosby said. “I just liked it. It was peaceful. I relaxed then, and I just continued to do it.”

When coming up with names for their business, Crosby was inspired by the drama musical film “Carmen: A Hip Hopera,” where the characters go to a place called “The Spot.” Crosby and Altenor liked the name “The Spot,” because it could mean anything, and it embodied a place where anything could happen.

The name of the boutique, The Spot, was inspired by the drama musical film “Carmen: A Hip Hopera.” Annabelle Gordon | Asst. Photo Editor

Altenor and Crosby leased The Spot’s location last summer, but due to the pandemic, they were unable to open until 2021. They love their boutique’s location and used to work upstairs in the same building before owning their store.

“We’re looking forward to it being a place where everyone can come together and network and meet other business people as well,” Altenor said. “Because we’re going to be doing little events there as well, like poetry events and improv shows.”

Altenor and Crosby see themselves expanding their business. They currently have three employees but would like to add at least two more people to the team.

The two are currently working on a fall collection and are aiming to have affordable and tailored collections. Altenor and Crosby are also interested in displaying local artists’ work on their walls.

“You don’t know if people will be too scared to shop because there is a pandemic, but we just put our faith in God and just move it forward,” Crosby said.

Published on April 26, 2021 at 9:14 pm