Young entrepreneur Rickeisha Burgess has made a splash in the retail world with the opening of her new business Duchess Boutique.

A former manager of Honey Boutique in Hamilton, Ms Burgess often travelled overseas as buyer for the store and managed the accounts of the business.

Now the 25-year-old graduate of Warwick Secondary School, who also works as a bartender for the Lido Complex, is managing her own business located on Ewing Street adjacent to Court Street which she opened in December 2005.

?I have always loved fashion and love shopping for clothes and once Honey Boutique closed last year it was an opportunity for me to start something new,? Ms Burgess said.

Ms Burgess who attends numerous fashion collection shows, seeks out vendors offering unconventional and eye catching designs from various regions of North America including Los Angeles, New York, Montreal and Italy.

?I love to go to fashion shows to see what other vendors have to offer and see how customers here react to them.?

?I going for a more trendy, fashionable look appealing to both young and mature adults and while we have a limited selection of basic lines, everything here is unique.?

While Ms Burgess agrees there are many challenges to owning a small business, she said it is vital to be determined to succeed without yielding to despair.

A wide selection of apparel is available at Duchess Boutique such as vintage couture, sandals, accessories, sun glasses, earrings, hand bags, offered in a spacious d?cor exuding an ambience of light and comfort.

The store does not a offer a large number of established brands with a few exceptions such as Rinaschimento from Italy.

At the moment the store is replete with bright pastel coloured clothing reflecting popular summer season styles.