Wausau native taps her Minneapolis fashion experience to start a women’s clothing boutique back home
Ashley Mantor will open Blackash Urban Goods and Clothing in downtown Wausau
Ashley Mantor spent the past four years managing the Justice store in the Mall of America in Minneapolis—one of the national retailer’s biggest sites. Originally from Wausau, Mantor is bringing that experience home to open her own shop, Blackash Urban Goods and Clothing.
The women’s boutique, slated to open this fall, will feature the trendier styles Mantor has come across in the industry. Blackash will be found just outside Wausau Center Mall, in the downtown storefront on Washington Street—formerly Brooklyn Taste.
Mantor has been in retail all her life, and helped launch Wausau’s Justice before being tagged to manage the site in Mall of America. Mantor’s access to industry trade shows put her finger on the pulse of the latest trends, and describes the styles she’ll carry at Blackash as “contemporary street… lots of edgy, trendy clothes, and lots of classics too.”
Starting her own store has been a dream for Mantor since she was a teen. Now 32, with experience even on the multi-millions revenue scale, Mantor feels she’s in a good position to strike out on her own. And the progress in Wausau has Mantor excited. With the riverfront development and the number of events on the rise, now should be the perfect time, she says.
