HERMITAGE, Pa. – Summer Wise, founder of Trendy, a local boutique with locations in Hermitage and Canonsburg, Pa., and Boardman, Ohio, has always loved fashion.
“It was always a passion of mine,” she reflects.
The Hermitage resident established Trendy out of her home about 20 years ago, following a career in pharmaceutical sales, she says. She operated as a studio by appointment for eight years before opening her first storefront at a spot down the road from her current store at 3642 E. State St., where she has been since
2019.
“There’s a specific look that we have. It’s classic,” Wise says. “It’s edgy at times, but with that classic feel to it.” She also says the store tries to stay within a specific price point so customers can afford to purchase multiple items.
The women’s boutique offers a variety of items, from clothing, handbags and accessories to an assortment of gift items. Wise personally selects all the merchandise, focusing more on the look of the items than their brand names.
“At any given time, we could have 20 different lines or more in our stores,” she says. “I’m just very specific on the pieces I pick.”
The Canonsburg store, which opened in 2022, evolved out of the success of a representative there who has been working with Trendy a little over 10 years, Wise says. Business had expanded to the point that she couldn’t keep working out of her house, so they began exploring spots in downtown Canonsburg, which was undergoing a revitalization. The city is about 20 miles from Pittsburgh, just off Interstate 79.
“It’s actually a really, really cute little town now, and we were one of the first stores that went in,” she recalls. There now are more than 10 different little stores, a restaurant that is opening soon, “a cute little bar” and a brewery on the same strip.
The Boardman store, which opened this summer, came about when she was looking for a third location, she says. Her search had been focusing on the Pittsburgh area when a friend with two young children, who owned the store that was in the space she now occupies, decided “to go in a different direction in life,” she recalls. She had previously operated a store in the township for about five years, but she closed it because she “just had too much on my plate,” she recalls.
“We did very well over there,” she says. When the current space opened up, she saw it as a good opportunity.
A couple of customers of the former Boardman store who have returned to shop at the new one describe her items as timeless, she says.
“That’s one thing I’m very proud of,” she says, “Granted, everything goes in and out of style, but we try to stick with a specific look.”
In addition to running the three stores, she continues to participate in various events, from the Boardman Rotary’s Oktoberfest to events in Cleveland and Pittsburgh.
Trendy recently participated in a boutique walk with other area boutiques, she reports.
“We all work really well together here and we’re bringing more and more people with the community together,” Wise says. “We had so many women walking through each of these stores – enjoying each other, spending time, things that you’re not going to do at a Macy’s or a larger department store. So, I think it’s really helping to bring the community together.”
Kelley Boatwright, location and inventory manager, has been with Trendy nearly six years. Coming from a 20-year background in corporate retail, she says she wouldn’t be in retail at this stage in her life if she was not working in a small business.
“We are definitely like the yin and yang of each other. We balance each other out in the business,” Boatwright says. “She’s the wind. I’m the gravity. … I hold her down.”
Wise agrees with that description.
“I know what I’m not good at,” she says, adding that she surrounds herself with people who are good at the tasks she doesn’t do well in.
That’s what makes Wise successful, Boatwright says. She understands where her “opportunity areas” are and brings in the people that are strong in those areas.
Since the Covid-19 pandemic, Wise says she sees an increased awareness of the importance of shopping local. The families that own these businesses have kids that attend area schools, donate to their athletic programs and take part in community.
“These small businesses feed the community,” she says.
About 85% of Trendy’s business is from repeat customers, Boatwright estimates. The Hermitage store’s traffic is such that she is able to engage with and get to know them, and she knows nearly all of their names. Recent online sales include shipments to Louisiana and Texas. The states the store has shipped to include California, Minnesota and Maryland.
A push to boost online sales will be a priority in 2026, Wise says.
Pictured at top: Summer Wise, owner of Trendy boutique in Hermitage and Canonsburg, Pa., and Boardman, Ohio.