From DC to Fair Oaks: Kelli Hull Brings Monkee's Boutique to Texas Hill Country
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After nearly 20 years in Washington, DC, Kelli Hull is returning to her Texas roots to open Monkee's of Fair Oaks Ranch, a women's fashion boutique set to launch on August 20. In a recent episode of the Building Texas Show, host Justin McKenzie sat down with Hull in Fair Oaks Ranch to discuss her move, the franchise process, and her vision for the store.
Hull, a native Texan, identified a clear gap in the Texas Hill Country market for contemporary women's fashion designers. She chose the Lemon Creek Ranch development, anchored by an H-E-B with I-10 access, over other sites in Kendall and Bexar counties. The location, she says, was ideal for capturing the growing community.
The Monkee's franchise process, as Hull explained, began with paperwork at ownamonkees.com and culminated in a Discovery Day in Winston-Salem with Vice President of Franchising Pete Greene. Hull was drawn to the brand after visiting a Monkee's in Raleigh eight years ago, impressed by how a 1,200-square-foot boutique could carry major contemporary labels. She credits the franchise's collective buying power for opening doors, noting that she recently bought 2027 collections at the Farm Rio showroom in New York before her store even opened.
Hull's boutique will feature brands like Paige Denim, Frame, Aviator Nation, Farm Rio, Millie, Shoshanna, and Marie Oliver. She emphasizes a data-driven buying philosophy shaped by her 20 years supporting special operations and Central Intelligence Agency clients through her consulting business. On customer experience, she made a promise: "It is my solemn vow to you that I will never let you leave Monkee's of Fair Oaks in something that doesn't look phenomenal on you. I promise."
The build-out process involved taking a cold, dark shell in a new development from Valcour, which Hull praised alongside Bexar County permitting that turned around in roughly 72 hours. She also previews a Sunday by-appointment personal shopping model aimed at busy traveling professionals and plans for private after-hours events and a grand opening for the Junior League's Military Affinity Group—a nod to her Army Reserve officer husband.
Monkee's of Fair Oaks will be store number 8 in Texas and roughly number 67 nationally. Hull's story is one of reverse migration and retail opportunity, filling a niche in a growing community.