Owner Of Cleaning Business Opens New Boutique In Burnt Hills For Gift Shoppers

By Susan Elise Campbell
Nicole Wilson has two messages for shoppers at her new Burnt Hills boutique: She helps make people’s lives simple and it is safe to shop there.
“After all, I do own a cleaning company,” said Wilson, who started Life Maid Spotless and Simple about 15 years ago. “Cleaning prevents COVID.”
The retail shop— called Life Made Simple Boutique—recently opened in Suite 5 at 772 Saratoga Road, the Dollar Tree Plaza. It had been a dream of Wilson’s for many years, partly because she has “a fire and a passion for shopping,” she said.
“I live on a farm and sell eggs and crafts,” said Wilson. But opportunity knocked for a boutique with home décor and gifts as she planned moving her cleaning business to Route 50.
“For the last five years I ran Spotless out of my home and with the pandemic, I thought we would be safer,” she said. “But I needed more room for the washer and dryer and to store supplies.”
At any time Wilson employs 12 to 18 cleaning staff. She wasn’t expecting to start a second business during a pandemic, but the space presented itself first and the boutique followed.
“I had thought the plaza location was probably too expensive but made a gamble and called,” she said. “I was shocked to find that the cost of the space was comparable to an office and the additional area for retail was a bonus.”
On Nov. 1, she relocated Spotless and began setting up the boutique in her “rustic and industrial yet homey farmhouse style,” she said.
Wilson sells women’s clothing, personal care products and hand-crafted items for the home. The shop features a self-healing station.
“I want people to be healthy and to give them help dealing with the stresses of today,” she said.
Wilson is bringing other local women-owned businesses, such as soap makers and artisans, “to give back to the small business community,” she said.
Wilson is pursuing certification through the SBA’s Women Owned Small Business Program for her cleaning company.
“Shopping for items for the boutique has been difficult, but I have found some wholesale sites where you don’t have to pay for 60 to 90 days,” she said. “Shipping and getting things on time has been tough also, but I have had a very positive experience in the community overall.”
“People are helping small businesses more than ever now,” she said. “It took a pandemic to open people’s eyes to the need to support each other.”
Life Made Simple Boutique is open Wednesday through Saturday starting at 10 a.m. and by appointment on Sundays “for people who may be nervous about going out during the pandemic,” she said. “COVID may be a problem for a while but it’s a safe environment here,” she said. “We are small, but we have a little of everything.”