Words and Images by Justin Hunter

Nestled in a 5,000 square foot, recently renovated storefront on 19th Street East, Bianka’s Boutique is the latest business to open in Jasper’s quickly transforming downtown. 

To appropriately describe the store, Bianka’s is Nashville Bohemian chic with a hint of Walker County flair. It has an open concept floor plan and selective merchandising that is mixed with Southern, minimalist décor, offering customers a satisfying (but not overwhelming) shopping experience. Inside the store, dark wood support beams tastefully contrast with a vibrant women’s spring clothing collection for 2020. Women of all sizes and ages are able to connect with the energy of the boutique, which is the brainchild of Jasper’s dynamic duo: mom, Brandi Shiflett, and her daughter, Anna Kate, neither of whose middle name is Bianka. 

How the two landed on the name is simple: Instagram. After two months of unsuccessfully brainstorming, Brandi stumbled across a post of woman’s daughter named Bianka. As it turns out, it’s a beautiful amalgamation of letters of the two women’s names. It reflects the duality of ideas, styles, and personalities of the founders.  

“I wanted the name to be one word that stands out. I believe that makes a difference and sticks with you,” says Anna Kate.

“People often want to know who is Bianka. We’ve got a story to tell them. It’s a picture of us,” says Brandi. 

Brandi is a local real estate broker at Joseph Carter Realty and has many years of experience in the business world. Anna Kate is the dreamer. Her high school journal is filled with the foundational ideas behind the trendy clothing store. The store is a beautiful picture of multi-generational female entrepreneurship.   

“I knew that when we opened up the store, we had to come back home,” Brandi says. “You have to have that local support and that connection of the community. I wanted to be a part of Main Street because Jasper’s downtown is growing. We just knew in order to make the business work, we had to be downtown and grow with the city.” 

Brandi and Anna Kate have overcome unforeseen challenges to make their dream a reality. Originally scheduled to open the first of April, Bianka’s grand opening was delayed because of the government’s restrictions on businesses due to the coronavirus. Social distancing ordinances forced the two to be innovative in getting merchandise into the hands of consumers. The mother-daughter duo turned to social media as a platform to sell their products. Daily Facebook Live events were used to show off their clothing, curbside pickup utilized for local customers, and nationwide shipping helped the store weather the storm of COVID-19. 

“We want people to know that we are here. We are downtown. We want people to come shop with us,” said Brandi.

This up and coming clothing store is positioned to influence Jasper fashion for years to come with its fun and inclusive style. 78