Garnett Boutique Is No. 1 Kansas Woman-Owned Business

GARNETT, KS: Monroe 816 home décor and furniture boutique in downtown Garnett, Kan., was named Kansas Woman-Owned Business of the Year (Retail Firm) from the Kansas Department of Commerce, less than two years after Val Katzer Foltz opened the store.

“This is an incredible validation for the store that has been my dream for so long,” said Katzer Foltz, who started repurposing thrift store finds to brighten her house on Monroe street decades ago when she was raising children as a single mother on a tight budget. She named the store in honor of that home when opened in January 2018.

“It’s also a tribute to the terrific customers who have supported us on this journey.”

Katzer Foltz started blogging about home decorating and entertaining in 2015, then quit her longtime sales career in 2017 to market restyled furniture on social media and at flea markets and popup events. She was based in her husband’s workshop until he decided to remodel it and she found the space at 105 E. Fourth Ave.

Monroe 816 (www.monroe816.com) was one of 12 minority- and women-owned businesses honored at the event.

“Minority and women-owned businesses are an integral part of the Kansas economy,” said David Toland, Secretary of the Kansas Department of Commerce. “We greatly value the contributions these businesses and advocates provide to our state, from the jobs they create to the way they enrich communities and lives.”