Country Christmas 2025 | White Owl Creek Boutique  

While visiting western South Dakota, stop in for a unique shopping experience while taking in the history of the White Owl Store.  

Ann Shaw runs her one woman show – White Owl Creek Boutique – out of one of two original buildings in the town of White Owl in rural western South Dakota.  

The White Owl Store building, built in 1893, survived a fire in the early 1900s that destroyed all but two buildings. Shaw, who has run a salon on her family’s ranch for 30 years, and the boutique for 15 years, moved 2 miles into White Owl five years ago.  

“I’ve remodeled but still tried to keep it looking as close to what it could have looked like,” she said.  

Wanting to preserve as many historical features as possible in the building, Shaw worked on reinsulating, applying new wall coverings and a lot of paint before moving in. Since the floors were painted, they refinished the wood floors.  

“The floors are all original wood but were painted, we stripped all of that and got down to the wood and they look really nice,” Shaw said.  

Many visitors who stop in like to visit about the history of the building. Shaw enjoys sharing the history and unique features of the White Owl Store and keeps a history book about the building and the town for them to look through. 

Shaw added the boutique to her salon business to add something special for her customers. She carries men’s, women’s and children’s clothing items, as well as gifts. One of her main brands is Wrangler. She noted that they carry a lot of denim.  

She carries a lot of clothing to work on the ranch, as well as dress clothes for those with off-farm jobs and dresses for special occasions. Her store provides a source for clothing with the nearest department store 60 miles away in Sturgis or Rapid City.  

“One of our little sayings is we’re 60 miles from anywhere. No matter which direction we go, we’re 60 miles,” she said.  

Customers can shop online, but Shaw enjoys when people come in the store in order to help them find the perfect outfit. Shaw knows some of her customers well enough that she can choose clothes they may like ahead of time.  

“The most rewarding thing is when I buy something and I think of somebody in my head and they walk through the door and they actually buy what I picked out,” she said.  

In addition to the brick-and-mortar store and the online store, Shaw also takes her store on the road. After a few years of figuring out which events make the most sense for her business, she starts the year off with a booth at the Black Hills Stock Show. In June, she heads to the South Dakota State Finals Rodeo in Ft. Pierre. In late July, she goes to Isabel for their rodeo and celebration. Shaw’s final event is Ft. Pierre once more for the State 4-H Rodeo Finals in August.  

After Thanksgiving, Shaw hosts several events at her store in White Owl, including a holiday open house, a ladies’ night and a men’s night. Usually, she has lists from the ladies to help the men shop.  

Regardless of whether she is doing hair or running the boutique, Shaw relies on word of mouth to market her business. Bringing her boutique to events and getting her name and face out there works best for her.  

“I like to help people shop and see the excitement when they find that something special. I like to help you put together an outfit that makes you look and feel good and confident in it. I think that’s something that you miss when you’re shopping online is that one-on-one shopping experience and getting to be a part of that is very special,” she said. “That’s one of the many reasons I enjoy doing what I do.”  

The post office is conveniently located in the White Owl Store so it’s easy for her to ship all of her online orders.   

“White Owl has the oldest post office in Meade County. That’s one of the reasons I bought the building was to keep the post office alive because once you lose your zip code, then you’re not considered a town,” Shaw said. “I like to keep that zip code going and it’s very handy, I can just ship right there.”  

Shaw said one of her biggest challenges is trying to do everything herself. She has been getting extra help for her events and once in a while when she needs to be away, she can have her friends man the store. With store hours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and Saturdays 9 a.m. to noon, Shaw stays busy running the boutique and salon and getting merchandise up on the website.  

Even though she takes her boutique on the road, she believes that people are missing out when they do not take time to stop in White Owl at the actual store.  

“I can take it to events, but I think it’s a completely different experience when people take time to come into the store. That’s my biggest challenge is getting people to take the time to stop in and really take in what that building is and how long it’s been there and how it’s kept the town alive,” she said.  

“The most rewarding thing is when people stop by and visit, just this last week, I’ve had several that have stopped before. It’s fun when you get the repeat customers and getting to know and recognize each one. I get a lot of tourists in, and it’s always fun to see where everyone is coming from and going to.”   

Shop the White Owl Creek Boutique inventory at whiteowlcreekboutique.com. 

Better yet, to immerse yourself in South Dakota history while shopping for quality clothes, visit the town of White Owl, 60 miles east of Sturgis on Highway 34.