Krazy Mary's owner Mary Kawano said the store is thriving after its return to her home turf in East Sacramento.

The boutique moved out of Midtown earlier this summer to a store at 3230 Folsom Blvd. — almost right back to the same place where the business opened 10 years ago. The contemporary designer store opened at 3200 Folsom Blvd. in 2000.

The store was the first to carry premium denim and other fashions in the area, she said. The East Sacramento resident said she moved her first store out of her neighborhood and over to 2527 J St. in 2005 after competitors including Dara Denim and Barby K opened in Midtown.

"That's where our market was," Kawano said. "I've always missed East Sac, 'cause that's where I first started."

Kawano was just 26 when she opened her first clothing store in Sacramento. She had sold hair products for a company called Fashion Formulas and managed a hair salon before then. In 2003, Kawano opened a second store, Sugar Shack Boutique, carrying eclectic local designers and affordable, funky clothes targeted to Midtown women at 2425 J St.

Krazy Mary's original competitors, which were a block away on K Street, have since closed. Kawano considered moving back to East Sacramento a year ago, but was afraid to lose business by being closed for a move, she said.

With the current buyer's market, she felt the time was right to return to East Sacramento in early June. The new space is bigger than the last — about 2,250 square feet, while the J Street location was about 1,500 to 1,600.

The new space also gets a lot more natural light and has better parking, she said.

"Now I know why I wanted to move back to East Sac: It's convenient. The parking is great," she said. "We love the location."

A grand opening is expected to be held at the new store in September. The store's hours are Mondays 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Tuesdays - Saturdays 11 a.m.-7 p.m. and Sundays noon-5 p.m.

Photos by Suzanne Hurt, a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.