Fashionably forward Swank boutique caters to women who want unique pieces that stand out in the crowd.

Located in the North Town Square across from Northtown mall, Swank is locally owned by Jody Jones, a retired Law Enforcement officer who decided to follow her dream of owning a fashion boutique.

“After being in Law Enforcement for 15 years I was ready for a change and decided to follow the dream of owning my own clothing store,” Jones said.

Anyone who dares to shoplift has something coming with Jones’ cop background as she enjoys busting the occasional shoplifter.

“We recently posted video of a shop­lifter on our Facebook page which ended up being reposted on about 20 Facebook pages and run on two media channels,” Jones said.

Jones has always loved fashion, act­ing as a stylist to her friends and help­ing them shop. She hand picks designs that are casual with a twist for custom­ers looking for something a little differ­ent.

“I look for pieces that are basic but have some unusual style aspect or de­tail,” Jones said.

Carrying a mix of designer lines from all over gives options galore to their customers who range in age from 14 to 65.

“Daughters come in with their moth­er’s and grandmother’s all the time and they are all able to find something they love,” Jones said.

Fashionistas can feel great about pampering themselves by knowing that Swank offers many ecological friendly products with natural and organic fi­ber, and more than half of the prod­ucts offered are made in the United States, with an emphasis on products and clothes offered by women owned companies. Swank is also the exclusive carrier of Butter, a non-toxic nail polish from London.

Jones is also concerned with helping out the community offering donations among them Spokane Humane Society, Rypien Foundation for childhood can­cer and The Angel Ball Gala benefiting childhood diabetes.

“We also donate to several area schools for auctions and senior par­ties,” Jones said.

Open for three years now Swank has established a special relationship with their customers. Jones knows many of her customers by name and loves to of­fer them styling tips helping them look their best.

“The girls always tell me what looks good,” Stephanie Naccarato, one of Swank’s longtime customers, said.

Naccarato loves shopping at Swank. In fact she only shops in Swank and a couple other places in Spokane, Nac­carato said.

“You see something new every time you come in.” Naccarato said.

Swank boutique also offers home decor items. Oversized pillows, candle holders, frames and much much more are scattered throughout the boutique.

“It has got all kinds of things you can’t find anywhere else,” Naccarato said.

There is a wide range of prices on items in Swank matching the range of customers. Jones tries to keep the markup as low as possible in order to pass the saving on to her customers.

“Anyone can walk into a wholesale market and buy gorgeous tops that retail for $200, but I dig to find pieces with a cool factor that are affordable for a wide range of budgets,” Jones said.

Swank’s close location to Whit­worth makes it easy to get to when in need for a great fashionable state­ment piece.

“Bring in this article for 10 percent off one regular priced item of your choice,” Jones said.

Swank boutique was voted Zbest of Spokane in 2009 and 2010. Check out Swank’s website and Facebook page to keep up on all the events and offers.