A Few Years in the Making
“This has been a dream,” said Becca Larson Isaak, speaking about opening her own boutique in Thief River Falls.
Like many entrepreneurs, realizing her dream was a few years in the making. After graduating from Lincoln High School, she went into nursing. “I loved my job,” Becca said. “I worked in mental health for several years but in the back of my mind I always knew I wanted to open a boutique.”
As a child, she played Barbie dolls with her sister for hours and hours. Part of the fun was dressing them in “hundreds and hundreds of clothes.” That love of dressing dolls grew up into a love of dressing people.
A Total Betty
She also spent a lot of time looking through family photo albums and always admired how people used to dress “back in the day.” One person who really stood out to her in those old photos was her grandmother, Betty Amiot, who embodied an innate sense of fashion.
When it came to selecting a name for her store, Becca chose “Total Betty,” in honor of her grandmother and as a tribute to her great sense of style. A few of Becca’s favorite black and white photos of her grandmother grace the walls of the store.
Family Connection
The family connection has always been especially important to Becca. “Growing up, I was taught that your family is your team—they’re your rock—so it was fun to incorporate family into my business as much as I could,” Becca said.
Before she opened, she went back to school and earned a marketing degree. She launched Total Betty in November of 2018. The store features a great mix of women’s clothing that appeals to a wide variety of ages, offered in sizes small-3X. The concept behind the business is helping women look and feel good.
Shop Online
Becca also has an online shop. “In this day and age,” she said, “I think it is especially important to have a website and to be in contact with customers that don’t live here in Thief River.” She is constantly adding new merchandise, product images, and updating her website.
What a lot of people don’t know is that everything that’s in the Total Betty bricks-and-mortar store is also on the Total Betty website. If you see something online, you can come in the store and try it on.
Part of the fun for Becca is helping her customers find the right outfit. “People walk in as customers, and they walk out as friends.”
Click here to download a PDF version of the 12-page “Come Home to Thief River Falls” publication.