After being open for five years in Warrington, The Purple Pumpkin had its grand opening on Louisa Main Street, July 19.

Before opening her shop Marylou Embrey struggled to find the perfect name for her boutique. Remembering a shop she visited in Canada named The Purple Pumpkin, she wanted to replicate what she saw.

“My mom grew up in Buffalo New York, near the Canadian line, so we’d go over to Canada a lot,” Embrey’s daughter, Alicia Ford, said. “While she was over there, she noticed a store named The Purple Pumpkin, thought it was the coolest name, and thought that if she ever owned a store, she would want to name it The Purple Pumpkin.”

The Purple Pumpkin is located on Main Street and centers around selling children’s clothing and accessories that are curated from different online vendors.

“I go from newborns to size 18, and we’re thinking about getting some larger sizes, like junior sizes, so we’ll probably go from extra small to extra large eventually,” store owner, Embrey said.

After falling in love with the open store space, and wanting to be closer to her family, Embrey decided to move her shop to Louisa with the goal of bringing joy to the small town.

“I’m just hoping that it’s going to bring a little bit more life to Louisa because foot traffic has really slowed down in the past few years,” Embrey said. “We’re going to have some events that will bring some more people to town, and I’ve talked to some of the merchants here who are willing to put that extra effort in.”

With the holiday season rapidly approaching, The Purple Pumpkin is planning to host several events, such as trick-or-treating, a Halloween photo shoot contest, and a book reading by Mrs. Claus.

“It is a really good spot, and it’s going to bring in more tourism because of all the events they’re planning to do, like at Christmas time,” senior Chelsea Stone said. “They’re going to be a very integral part of the community, I feel.”