Schwartz, ’06, is the founder and owner of Room 5 Home Decor Boutique in Ozark, Mo. Since she opened its doors around 2010, she has filled the boutique with a variety of home accents including wall art, lamps, candles and — her personal favorites — trays and bowls.
The idea of owning her own shop came to Schwartz at an early age. She was inspired by her grandmother, who owned a dress boutique.
Schwartz says home décor wasn’t her first love.
“While I was at Missouri State, I studied fashion merchandising and minored in marketing and international business,” Schwartz said. “After I graduated I worked at Abercrombie & Fitch (clothing store).”
After a few years of working in fashion, Schwartz discovered her new calling.
“I hadn’t had much of an interest in decorating, because I didn’t have my own place to decorate,” Schwartz said. “But when my husband and I bought our first home a few years ago, I had so much fun decorating and searching for items. It took me 30 seconds to realize I needed to open a home décor boutique.”
When she’s not at Room 5, Schwartz enjoys time with her husband, Aaron, and their dog, Sierra.
“We love to go hiking,” Schwartz said. “We moved to Ozark a couple of years ago, and we enjoy venturing out.”
Schwartz is enjoying the benefits of being an entrepreneur.
“My favorite part of owning my own store is setting my rules and meeting my expectations.”
Schwartz was able to use the things she learned at Missouri State to make her dream a reality.
“We had to write a full business plan in one of my fashion merchandising classes,” Schwartz said. “With a business plan, I was able to go from the ground up. There is no way that I could have done it without that class.”
