Upscale women's apparel boutique and gift store celebrates grand opening in downtown Port Huron

Anita Varty prepares for the first glimpse of her shop, MI Passion.
One of downtown Port Huron’s newest businesses celebrated its opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony this past Wednesday, July 24.

The upscale boutique MI Passion carries women’s apparel, gifts, and Michigan-made products, everything from jewelry to syrup and jellies. Though she considers it an upscale boutique, owner Anita Varty says that customers often comment on her clothing being high quality yet at reasonable prices.

Unique Michigan items are among the goods available at MI Passion, a new boutique store in downtown Port Huron.Owning her own store has been something she’s wanted to do for more than 20 years, Varty says. That’s where the name comes in: Her passion.

Varty ran the gift shop at the Port Huron Museum for a decade, going on buying trips for the store and gaining invaluable retail experience along the way. She attended an online retail academy to fill in the gaps; this is her first boutique.

"I always wanted my own boutique but running the gift shop really lit a fire to open my own," Varty says. After a year and a half of actively searching, it was the old Acme Locksmith storefront that won her over.

"I thought, if I don’t do it now, I’ll never do it and I’ll regret it. I had been MI Passion Boutique recently celebrated its opening in downtown Port Huron.looking at storefronts when I saw that this was the right place."

Varty says that it was the landlord that actually offered her the place. After a fresh coat of paint, Varty began the interior design, opting for reclaimed barnwood for a wall and cashier’s desk, black piping for the fixtures.

For all that time she wanted her own store, Varty knew it had to be in downtown Port Huron.

"It’s very exciting to be part of the downtown renaissance with all of these different shops coming in," she says.

"I’ve worked in the community for years, been all over the region. This is the best fit for me."

MI Passion is located at 217 Huron Ave. in downtown Port Huron.

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