Magnolias, a unique and creative boutique, moved into town last summer, and this summer local fiber artist and owner Paulette Wentzlaff is here to add a splash of color to your wardrobe. Wentzlaff opened her first Magnolias location in Hudson, Wisconsin in 2013 and relocated to Mahtomedi in August 2017.
“My mother was a sewer,” Wentzlaff says. “She made all of our clothes growing up. I guess you could say fiber has always been in the family.”
Before she opened her shop, Wentzlaff began dying her own wool in order to create the exact colors she wanted, and word spread. “Other people wanted my wool and it grew from there,” Wentzlaff says. Opening Magnolias was an extension of her love for fiber. Wentzlaff says she loves making functional pieces that people can enjoy wearing every day.
Along with wool, other items have grabbed customers’ attention at her shop. “People come more for the clothing now than the wool,” Wentzlaff says.
Clothing at Magnolias comes in sizes from extra small to 3X. “All of the clothes are American-made, fair trade or European. I look for good fabrics that fall nicely and are flattering to all shapes,” says Wentzlaff.
Wentzlaff has ordered a bright array of clothing for summer. “All of the fabrics used for the clothes are hand dyed or hand painted,” she says.
Interested in learning a new skill or hobby? Magnolias has three different class spaces and also offers classes in latch–hooking, wool applique and much more. A class schedule is available online.
