New Silver Laine Co. is a dream come true for Waukon native


Silver Laine Co., LLC receives First Dollar Visit ... Silver Laine Co., LLC received a First Dollar Visit from the Waukon Chamber of Commerce on its first day of business, Friday, April 2, at its new location at 33 West Main Street in downtown Waukon. Pictured above with their First Dollar certificate are Brittany and Mike Horns, owners of the newly-opened Silver Laine Co., LLC. Photo courtesy of the Waukon Chamber of Commerce.

For Waukon native Brittany Horns, the opening of her own clothing boutique, Silver Laine Co., LLC, on Main Street of her hometown marks the realization of a dream she’s been working toward throughout her career in the retail clothing industry. That dream became reality for her when she opened the doors to her new boutique at 33 West Main Street in Waukon Friday, April 2.

Following her graduation from Waukon High School in 2003, the former Brittany Leiran embarked upon what has been an 18-year career thus far in retail management. That career took her to a number of places and through a vast array of experiences throughout the tri-state area, including three years in Minneapolis, MN working at the Mall of America.

“Through years in the retail world, I knew my dream would be someday opening my own doors,” Horns said. “Born and raised in Waukon and moving away after high school, living in larger cities, I knew my dream and goals would bring me back home.”

Benefiting from her career experience thus far, Horns wanted to make her own location unique, not only to her own style but also in how it serves so many others looking to express and enhance their own styles as well. Being able to do that in the small town atmosphere of her own hometown makes her that much more passionate about furthering her dream.

“You can’t always find a small town boutique that caters to all ages, sizes and styles,” she explained. “We also carry gifting for all occasions, many styles from dressy to casual in sizes Small to 3X, as well as jewelry, shoes and purses.”

The daughter of Larre and Brenda Leiran of Waukon, Horns is married to 2001 Waukon High School graduate Mike Horns and they have two children, Harper and Griffin. In between her departure from Waukon shortly after high school graduation to her more recent return, she began and furthered her career in the larger market areas of Dubuque, Cedar Rapids, La Crosse, WI, and Mankato and Minneapolis in Minnesota.

Having worked so many years in those larger markets not only gained Horns the experience she needed to open her own boutique, but also helped her grow to appreciate what it would mean to establish her own location where she had grown up. “I love that every decision that’s made is done for the dream I went after and that my children can see that it’s never too late to go after what you want,” she highlighted.

Pursuit of that dream and making it her own reality has not been without its challenges, however.

“Coming from the year we just had and the fact that, as a community, we haven’t had an option to shop locally for clothing like this at a small business, knowing how much product to plan for our first week of business was a challenge,” Horns noted. “We are getting new product daily and filling racks back up each and every day.”

Although just getting started with her very own clothing boutique adventure, Horns already has ideas for growing her dream into something even greater. “We’d love to expand and offer an omni-channel experience by starting an online option for purchasing, maybe by the end of the year or the start of the next,” Horns offered.

Silver Laine Co., LLC is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. For additional information about the business, Horns invites anyone to stop by and visit her new location at 33 West Main Street in downtown Waukon, give her a call at 563-794-1088 or visit the new business website at silverlaine.co.