Mud & Moo Boutique caters to women of all shapes, sizes

ROCK FALLS – The owners of a unique boutique that recently opened in downtown Rock Falls aim to offer stylish options for women of all shapes and sizes.

“Everyone’s really commented that they love the sizing options that we have here, and we’ve had a lot of women who thanked us,” said Chaley Sexton, co-owner of Mud & Moo Boutique.

It’s gratifying to know that people in the community appreciate the options they provide, she said.

Co-owned by Sexton and Ashley Kness, both of Rock Falls, Mud & Moo opened Sept. 8 at 209 W. Second St., Rock Falls.

“When Ashley and I would go around shopping at boutiques and other places, we found that they really lacked curvy girl sizes,” Sexton said. “So we wanted to be able to also provide an option for girls where they could shop and find clothing that fit them and that was cute.”

Their selection of women’s clothing runs from a size small to 3X, and jeans go up to size 22 or 24 depending on the brand, she said. The pants they stock don’t come in different inseam lengths – they don’t have the space to store that many items – but they’ve curated Mud & Moo’s offerings to include styles that, by their nature, fit better people with longer or shorter legs, Sexton said.

Kness noted that all the clothing they have, regardless of size, comes in a variety of modern and trendy patterns and styles. Despite what people might imagine based on the store’s name, the styles they have aren’t just Western, she said.

“We’ve heard from a lot of women that they’re really happy that our clothing in the extended sizes is cute clothing,” Sexton said. “They said a lot of times when they goes to stores, it tends to be not nice.”

The styles of clothing available at Mud & Moo also run the age gamut, she said.

“We have teens come in that love the crop-tops, but we also have 70- to 80-year-olds that will find like a nice sweater that they can wear,” Sexton said. “So it really is a good age range for the variety of stuff we carry.”

Kness and Sexton said they also encourage customers to try on clothing before buying it to make sure the customer actually is happy with their purchase. If a customer asks for an opinion on clothing they’re considering purchasing, the co-owners said they’ll give honest feedback, even if that’s saying something like, “I think we can find a better fit.”

“We’re not just trying to make a sale; we’re not a big-box store,” Sexton said. “They’re not a number, they’re a person.”

Some of the items in the store were designed by them, Kness said. Their creations – most of which are T-shirts – all have the Mud & Moo tag, she said.

They also make pocket-sized “personal pharmacy” cases, goat’s milk soap, some wax melts and several other small items, Kness said.

Anything that they didn’t design they handpicked from different vendors, Sexton said.

Along with clothing, Mud & Moo sells purses, candles, some baby clothing, whipped body butters, sugar scrubs, roll-on perfume, locally made canned goods – such as raw honey, pickles and homemade salsa – jewelry, car diffusers and more.

“We’ve also tried to look at some unique products that you don’t normally see around the area or in your typical store,” Sexton said.

It’s not possible with all of their products – such as clothing – but when they can, they prefer to get their stock from smaller companies, Sexton said.

“We actually are able to speak one on one with the owners of these smaller companies, and that makes a difference,” she said. “Being able to, you know, message and ask them questions and that kind of thing has just been really helpful.”

The community’s response to Mud & Moo so far has been positive, Sexton said. People from Grand Detour, Dixon, Mount Carroll, Milledgeville and other surrounding towns have visited the store, which has been “really, really encouraging,” she said.

Mud & Moo’s hours are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Call the store at 815-441-3103, email Sexton and Kness at mudandmoo@gmail.com or contact them through Mud & Moo Boutique’s Facebook page.