On August 14th, a new women's clothing shop opened on South Madison Street in Middleburg. Named Lou Lou, it is a boutique owned by Tara Wegdam and managed by Barbara Riddleberger, two very familiar names in Middleburg's retail community.

Barbara, a five year employee, formerly managed the Creme de la Creme store in the same location. "So many of my loyal customers couldn't wait for the new dress shop to open."

The store is one of many in Tara's family, her great-grandparents opened their first store in the 1800's, where they sold hats and women's clothing in the little town of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Taking over the space from Creme de la Creme, Tara had to come up with a name but felt it would be too confusing to call the store the "French Shoppe", the name of her family's store, so she and Barbara came up with the name Lou Lou.

The store features Italian leather jackets, jeans and cotton sweaters, cocktail dresses, knit ponchos, accessories - all with a contemporary flair unique to Middleburg.

"We carry sizes from 0 to 18," says Barbara, "Our goal is to provide the local market with a wide selection at reasonable prices - we have Leather jackets for $180, ponchos for $30, suede pants for $120; even a boucle jacket and pants suit for only $150.00!"

"We even see mothers come in with their teenage daughters," says Tara, "they appreciate being able to find clothes here in town that their girls want to wear without making a trip to the mall." "We're constantly getting new merchandise, so a lot of people are constantly popping in to check on what's new."

Barbara adds, "We want people to feel comfortable and relaxed, to come in and try anything on without worrying about messing up the changing rooms. We've even had several impromptu dress-up parties where customers are trying everything on and getting feedback from complete strangers. It's a lot of fun."