The Happy Woman

Seriously fun fashion....and hip and happy gifts. Located in beautiful downtown Suttons Bay, Michigan, we are lucky enough to live and work at the lake.

Permanently closed.

Which, according to a sign I saw recently, is "lucky enough"! Our charming boutique is packed full of fun stuff for women including pretty scarves and jewelry and handbags, comfortable and fun fashion, yummy perfumes, body lotions, and candles, sassy cards and gifts, and an inspirational section full of women-oriented art & books. We carry Mixture candles, Tokyo Milk & Melange fragrance, clothing

by Whitewash, Desigual, Lole, Synergy, Elisabethan, Allen Allen, Loco Lindo, Press, Inside Out, and Salaam. We love Erin Smith Art, Anne Taintor, and Shannon Martin -- and carry gifts and cards from all. You'll love our selection of affordable handbags, especially the fun designs from Espe, which sell out every season! We hope that you'll be able to come to beautiful Suttons Bay to shop -- the town is full of creative boutiques -- and would love to see you at The Happy Woman!

02/07/2026

Howdy! If you’ve been wondering what’s been going on in the old HW space, here are a couple of sneak peeks. Bridget has transformed it into an artist’s paradise with brushes, paints, sketchbooks - all high quality and the real deal. You can get there from inside .

Miss you guys!!

12/17/2025

We’re officially out of this sunny, bright, cute as a button space. Thank you Suttons Bay!

Stay tuned for a new art supply store coming from Bridget, my next door neighbor . She’s so excited!

Merry Christmas and shop small!!

11/29/2025

My last thank you goes to my parents.

My dad, who passed away in 2021, gave each of his kids a gift of money back in the 90s. I squirreled mine away for the speck of a business idea I had in the back of my mind. When the time came, I used that money to buy inventory and fixtures and pay rent. He was always very interested in how things were going with HW. He had owned his own HVAC business, so we often conversed about the numbers parts of business ownership. And when things were down, he encouraged me to keep going.

My mom whose nickname is Spike, for some reason we can’t remember, has been a source of constant encouragement. I have a little magnet that she bought me that says “take your dreams off the back burner”, which I looked at every day until I finally took the leap. She has been my best advertisement at her church where her lady friends ooh and aah over her HW clothes. She has picked me up when I was down and celebrated my successes. Every year on opening day, she sends me a huge bouquet from Forget Me Not. Back in the day, she wrote a cookbook called Spike’s Eats, and we sold it at HW. Even had a book signing! For years, she made cookies for every event I had. Once, when I was in the space in the back, she ran the store for a weekend so Steve and I could get away. And let me tell you, that girl can sell! I can’t imagine the store without her and I’m so grateful for her support.

Ok, now that I’m 😭, I invite you to our last day of The Happy Woman. I made some snickerdoodles (Spike’s recipe of course) and I bought some S*x (iykyk). I’m calling it Snix and S*x! Come see us if you can!

11/27/2025

I have so much to feel grateful for on this Thanksgiving but these people, THESE PEOPLE, are on the top of the list!

As I’ve stepped away from working behind the counter, these women have stepped and taken over like they were born to it.

They all have such unique talents that they have brought to the job and here are a few examples.

Kerry, who has been working at HW since 2011, is the Queen of Charisma, becoming so popular on Saturdays, that people ask where she is when she’s not there. Her sense of humor and her approachability are her secret sauce behind the counter.

Sue is the Zhuzhing Queen. Once I discovered her talents, she became the back wall and window changer and she often changed things around in the store without me asking. Her calm demeanor and background in nursing came in handy (yes there are stories) as she was always calm and kind under pressure.

Sharon, a former educator, is such a kind spirit. I often came in to find her having lovely conversations with people. She’s an artist too. Not only did she do her fair share of zhuzhing (with her own unique flair), she started selling her whimsical earrings in the shop and had a really great response.

Sarah worked here for 3 summers and shared so many of her talents with us! From her chalkboard signs that featured her incredible calligraphy talent to her creative and funny social media videos, she is a load of fun and joy and so kind and cheerful.

Nancy, our Window Queen, worked as a salesperson for several years, but most recently was responsible for all of the window displays. Her never-ending creativity was a wonderful thing to be around as she came up with ideas that would never in a million years occurred to me. They were always the source of compliments for the shop. She also sold her beautiful sterling silver earrings in the shop, with great success.

These are just a few of the positive things I can say about each of these humans. I’m so grateful that they wanted to work at HW - they are all amazing!

11/23/2025

See that handsome man in the picture? That’s my social media hating husband, Steve. He’s the one that encouraged me, in 1999, to leave the corporate grind behind and start my own business. I can’t even count the number of hours he has painted walls and furniture; schlepped boxes and pieces of furniture; put together displays and made my wacky ideas come to life. Not to mention the thousands of pep talks (approx 38 per year), the hand holding during Covid, and trade shows he has attended with me for moral support. Oh and the wine he has poured at events! After he retired in 2019, he took over all of the back office stuff: bookkeeping and unboxing and check in of inventory, ordering supplies. As I’m typing this, I’m realizing how crazy lucky I am to have him! Without his support, I’m pretty sure this gig wouldn’t have gotten off the ground. Thank you Schmoopy! You’ll never see this, but maybe somebody will tell you about it. 🥰

We are starting our last week in business which is making me feel a little verklempt. Hope you can stop in to save a little cash and maybe pick up a HW treasure!

11/22/2025

Every piece has a story.

A. Pretty armoire. My friend, Darla, made jewelry and I bought it for the store and then she decided to move from Grand Haven to Seattle so she sold this piece to me. It’s one of my favorites because it’s so interesting. We’ve used it with the shelves and also put hardware in to hang clothing too. I love the mirror. Recently added the black and white k***s. It’s been useful and well-loved. $25

B. This 5 shelf unit started out bright turquoise and later was painted white with gold edges. The wallpaper was added when I bought some retro barware to sell. I bought this one in Frankfort. It’s useful! $15

C. This dresser was once in my guest bedroom at home and then got reassigned to The Happy Woman. It has been yellow, navy and now white. The space where the mirror was used to have chicken wire to hold earrings. $25

D. Cherry shelf. This started out as a kitchen cabinet in a farmhouse kitchen. It’s old…and heavy too. It’s been red with white trim, white with red trim and now it’s current colors. I added the cherry wallpaper to make it extra cute! $20

11/16/2025

Thank you for a wonderful first week of our Retirement Sale - so grateful!

This week, we have 40% off all store merchandise.

I brought a new pile of store props and fixtures out - including a container of fake veggies that I used for a farmer’s market theme window one year. These items are cash only and not included in the sale.

New this week is a section of free stuff! Fun, whimsical items we have used in store windows over the years. Come in and see if anything tickles your fancy.

See you Monday!

11/10/2025

Happy Monday! We got our first snow yesterday and it’s beautiful. We hope to see you this week for the start to our retirement sale.

10/30/2025

Hi friends - it’s time to start saying goodbye! We’ll be closing the store from November 1st - November 9th for a break and then coming in hot with some storewide sales. Hope to see you!

10/21/2025

Hi it’s Lucy! Even though my parents told me I am too wild to be a shop dog, I have enjoyed sniffing your toes and jumping on you and making weird little noises so you’ll notice me on the occasions when I am in the shop. I will miss seeing you when my mom closes her store.

10/18/2025

Back on Monday!

10/16/2025

Sue has been the Back Wall Zhuzher for as long as she has worked at HW! She grew up loving to put clothes together and we, at the HW, have been lucky enough to benefit from her expertise. I know that she has helped many of you find a top for a pair of pants or a sweater or scarf that just pulls the whole outfit together. She is very creative and has a great eye for color.

This week she had the idea to print photos of this year’s back wall outfits and frame them and put them on the actual back wall. Nancy’s quilled peace sign is the perfect accompaniment.

Address

309 N Saint Joseph Street
Suttons Bay, MI
49682

Telephone

(231) 271-0094

Website

http://www.thehappywomanstore.com/

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