When undergarments stand out

A longtime business owner chose to keep doing business in downtown Pullman to realize her goal of making clothing shopping easier for women on the Palouse.

Cherie Amour owner Laurie Barrie and her staff are holding a grand opening today for their new apparel store on 222 E. Main St.

Located between Rico’s Public House and Dante’s Deals, Cherie Amour specializes in selling lingerie, loungewear, swimwear, activewear and beauty products.

Pullman residents may know Barrie best as the co-owner of photography studio Creative Image for more than 35 years along with her husband, Scott. After her husband retired from that business, Barrie pivoted to Cherie Amour, but did not want to leave the city she has called home for more than 40 years.

She also wanted to continue bringing customers to Pullman’s Main Street.

“We didn’t just necessarily want to go away, but we wanted to help revitalize downtown and bringing beautiful curated brands to this area, I think, is important especially because we lack stores that have clothing,” Barrie said. “And we believe that the undergarments of a woman are just as important as the outer garments.”

Ashleigh Kanikkeberg, general manager, said they wanted to provide women a local avenue to find clothing that makes them feel confident. She said they wanted to “bring some sort of confidence and power into shopping for that and not being tucked away in a little department store.”

“I think that it seems like the piece of the puzzle Pullman and Moscow were missing and I think there’s a huge need in the community,” she said.

Cherie Amour, which is French for “beautiful love,” aims to carry styles and brands for women of all ages and sizes, Barrie said. Luisa Pinilla, marketing and merchandising manager, added that the staff wants to “honor the diversity of women’s beauty.”

“We believe every woman no matter age, race or belief deserves to be treated with respect and to learn to love the skin she’s in,” she said.

Barrie said some of the store’s items are made out of recyclable materials such as water bottles and recyclable nylon.

Cherie Amour is also partnering with Period, a nonprofit started by two Portland high school students in 2014 to support menstrual health around the world. Customers can donate to the nonprofit at the store or at Cherie Amour’s website, cherieamour.com. Rachel Bolt, public relations coordinator, said the business is working to partner with local Period chapters.

Cherie Amour held a soft opening Tuesday and Barrie said customers have already showed their appreciation.

“Women were very excited and we had just a lot of chatter about how delighted women are that we brought something so beautiful to Pullman,” she said.

Kuipers can be reached at akuipers@dnews.com.