Business Spotlight: Salamander changed shape, until it took on women's clothing

When Leslie Matson decided to start her own shop, she wanted a name that could be as flexible as her envisioned inventory.

"In the beginning, we weren't quite sure what the shop was going to be," explained Matson, who owns Salamander boutique at 7532 W. State St. "We wanted to do something ever-changing, like a salamander changing its colors. We figured the store could be ever-changing. So, if we changed up the products, which we kind of thought we would, that gave us a wide-range of opportunity."

It was a sound plan, but almost unnecessary. Just a month after opening, customers zeroed in on what they were most interested in: clothing.

And, while Matson carried furniture for a few years after that, her main focus over the last 24 years has been women's clothing and accessories.

That first month in business was also momentous because Salamander changed location. After starting in the lower level of the State Street building, a spot opened up at street level. So, within 30 days of opening, Matson re-opened in the same space she still occupies today.

Fortunately, it wasn't her first time around.

"I had a business before Salamander. Actually, I had a couple of them," Matson said.

Back then, her business was antiques, which Matson sold first through a co-op in Brookfield, and then through a co-op in Wauwatosa before opening her own shop in Elm Grove.

"It involved a lot of travel," Matson recalled.

After she had her first child, Chelsea, the schedule became unmanageable.

"But I knew I still wanted to do something on my own and something that would work around raising my kids, and the fashion thing kind of fit," Matson said.

It had been a lifelong interest, inspired partly by her grandmother, a seamstress, and partly by magazines. But, mostly, Matson said, "it was always there."

Today, the shop is an embodiment of Matson's affection for fashion. Something she looks forward to sharing with Chelsea, who joined the team in February.

For now, Chelsea is only at the store part-time, still working full-time as a wildlife rehabilitator.

But, Matson said, her commitment to the shop and her natural knack for the business has given Matson confidence that the store will continue well beyond its 25th anniversary, which Salamander will celebrate next October.

"It's revived me, just brought back some enthusiasm for me," Matson said, of Chelsea joining the business. "When you do it yourself there's nobody behind you, nobody encouraging you. She's given me a new lease on the business."

Matson said her customers, as well as her five staff members, give her the same sort of feeling.

"We've had some of the same faces for the last 24 years. They've become part of my life and part of my daughters' lives. They're customers who are kind of friends/customers — maybe friends first. I just want them to know how much I appreciate them."

JUST THE FACTS

BUSINESS: Salamander, 7532 W. State St.

WEB: Facebook

PHONE: (414) 259-0970

OWNER: Leslie Matson

INCORPORATED: 1991

TYPE OF BUSINESS: Women's apparel

PEARLS OF WISDOM: "My biggest challenge is keeping all the balls in the air, juggling all the responsibilities and trying not to work seven days a week. I figure my days off are Christmas, New Years' Day, the Fourth of July, Memorial Day and Labor Day. Otherwise, my phone rings if the store is open, which is seven days a week and two nights, and I'm always available. If they need me, I'm accessible."