Meet the owner of Bo2s Lady Designs, a new boutique in West Towne Mall

A Q&A with business owner LaTanya Webb, who wants to help women embrace their "boss lady energy."

Upon meeting longtime Madisonian LaTanya Webb, you’ll quickly notice the genuine kindness in her eyes and the undeniable warmth of her spirit; she brings a lightness to the space around her. But just beyond the surface lies boundless faith, grit, determination, resiliency, ambition and perseverance. These qualities have led to the success of a salon she ran for more than 15 years before opening her newest business venture, Bo2s Lady Designs, a women’s clothing boutique that opened on Jan. 23 at West Towne Mall. Pronounced “boss lady designs,” the new boutique features bright and bold clothing and accessories.

I dropped in recently to ask Webb a few questions (and I couldn’t help but do a little shopping, too).

LaTanya, tell Madison Magazine readers a little bit about yourself and what inspired you to open this new boutique — in the middle of a pandemic.
I’ve been a resident of Madison since 1982 and have always had an interest in fashion and fashion merchandising. Since I was 12 years old, I felt a calling to do something with the “mind, body and soul.” I am a minister at my church – to feed the mind and the soul. I also minister to my salon clients when they are in my chair. With the body, I am a cosmetologist by trade, but additionally, when I show up anywhere, be it my salon, my church or social events with friends and family, I always try to bring a creative and unique energy to my style — playing with colors, patterns and textures. Over the years, I’ve had so many clients in my salon ask for my opinions on how to pair certain items to create a look or a vibe. This has really spoken to my calling and has driven me to want to pursue some of my early dreams of carving out my own space in the fashion industry. In difficult times such as this pandemic, logic and reason may tell us to hold back. However, I decided to lean in on faith, believe in myself and my vision and open this boutique to embody the energy that I carry as a “boss lady.” I desire for other women to manifest that for themselves, and if this boutique can play a small part in a woman’s journey to her full self, that is a beautiful thing.

When women come into your boutique, what do you want them to experience as a customer?
Often when we talk about being a “boss lady,” it’s about a position of leadership on a platform. For me, when I think of the name of this boutique and the spirit of being a boss lady, it’s about women taking ownership of who they are or who they aspire to be, and I wanted to curate a collection of pieces that allow her to embody that strong and beautiful boss lady energy in all areas of her life – be it an ensemble for work, a pair of earrings for a nice dinner or just something that feels unique to who she is. I also want to help women “think outside of the box” when it comes to fashion – it may be a pop of color on an item you don’t expect, or a traditional garment with a “twist” — each item is interesting and unique in its own way, just like every woman is special and unique.

How often does your inventory change and what can customers expect to see?
The concept for this boutique is to always bring a fresh energy to the items and designs in the shop, so what you see today you may not see two weeks from now. The inventory will always change because with this boutique, I want each item to be special and unique to someone and to do that, I want to be sure to keep bringing in items that are new and different weekly to create excitement, anticipation and, ideally, repeat customers. If you look around the store, I’ve tried to pair certain looks together to inspire women to think creatively about fashion in every season of the year. In fact, several customers this week have come in shopping in advance of planned travel to warmer climates, so that is why you may see a short-sleeved jacket and peep-toe shoes in January. I want to keep things interesting and allow all women to embody the boss lady energy no matter what they have (or don’t have) planned. You can show up for yourself in your own life every day just by putting energy into what you wear and having it reflect your inner and outer boss lady!

What is next in your vision for Bo2s Lady Designs?
Right now, I want to start small and really get to know my customers, so you’ll mostly find different tops, shoes and accessories in the boutique in the opening weeks. In the coming months, I’d like to expand to bring in different bottoms (pants, skirts, etc.) and also broaden to include more size options through plus sizing. It is important to me that every woman can shop here. Every woman also means our young women because I have a vision to bring in girl’s [youth] clothing so that women of every age can shop here together.

After spending an hour at Webb’s new boutique, I left feeling energized, empowered and super excited about my purchases. Keep an eye out for my new bright pink beret bringing some boss lady energy to the streets of Madison.

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