Rene Limirande, owner of Rene’s Boutique on North Fifth Avenue, knows how to appeal to a girl on a budget.

Most of the items in her tiny little shop can be purchased for a steal, as in $1 or less, and a lot of the items she makes herself.

From home décor to fashion accessories, the boutique is crammed with plenty of eye-grabbing items that would appeal to the girly-girl who likes to pretty up her hair, her dog, or her space.

Limirande is a 1993 Oakdale High graduate and busy mom of seven children, who leapt at the opportunity to open a shop in her hometown.

The shop opened on April 1 and you may have seen her sign twirlers doing their thing on the corner of North Fifth, trying to entice shoppers to her little slice of bargain heaven.

“There’s all kinds of good stuff in here,” Limirande said. “Purses, luggage, sunglasses, jewelry, bows, flowers, and hats…I wanted to offer fashion at a reasonable price.”

Limirande knows a thing or two about making a dollar stretch and also knows the disappointment of walking into a store and telling her children that she can’t buy something for each of them because of the cost.

“The economy is rough out there for people. I want people to be able to have a high-end look at an affordable price,” she said.

And, there’s plenty for young shoppers to purchase, too.

“Young girls can bring in their piggy banks and walk out with five items. I like watching them walk out with smiles on their faces,” Limirande said.

Limirande purposefully priced her items so that 83 percent of her merchandise is $1 or less.

“You can walk in with your child and buy something for a quarter,” she said.

That’s right. She has items for 25 cents — nearly unheard of in today’s world — and if that wasn’t nice enough, she holds weekend blitz sidewalk sales when she marks down even more merchandise.

One of the more popular items is the large flower pieces that other places sell for $12 or more.
Limirande sells hers for a $1.

“I make the bows and flowers and some of the jewelry which helps keep costs down,” she said. “And I spend a lot of time searching on the Internet looking for the best price I can possibly get so I can pass that savings onto my customers.”

She also creates custom pieces for clients. She recently finished an order of custom bridal party hairpieces.

Rene’s Boutique is located at 157 N. Fifth Ave.

For more information, call 209-322-2075.