When longtime Overland Park dance boutique Degage Dancewear closed last year after multiple decades in business, a veteran in the industry got the chance to “un-retire.”
That’s how Robin Ochilltree remembers the phone call she got from a friend on Halloween. That friend, who would later become a silent partner in her new business, told Ochilltree that Degage had closed and asked what she had been up to lately.
“She said, ‘Would you like to un-retire?’ and I said ‘What do you have cooking?’” Ochilltree recalled with a laugh.
What that friend had “cooking” was a new dance boutique in Overland Park — which was fitting for Ochilltree. A retired dancer herself, she’s now preparing to start helping the next generation of dancers find their own dancing shoes (and more).
Her dancewear shop, Tutu Dance Boutique, will open on Saturday in Overland Park.
Tutu Dance Boutique is opening at 9268 Metcalf Ave.
- The boutique is opening in a space off 93rd Street and Metcalf Avenue, near the New Theatre & Restaurant and Cardboard Corner Cafe.
- Sewing and crafting store Fabric Recycles previously occupied that space for roughly 15 years, before closing in late 2024.
- Once the boutique opens, its regular hours will be 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Tutu Dance Boutique will offer dance attire for all ages
The inventory at the boutique will cater to a wide range of ages and experience levels, from “teeny tiny toddlers” to seasoned adults.
“As long as you dance, we’ll fix you up, we’ll deck you out and send you on your way,” Ochilltree said.
The boutique stocks a variety of shoes and apparel, from pink tutus and pointe shoes to tights and sweatshirts.
The shop leans into a boutique-style approach: limited quantities in each size so dancers don’t see their outfit “everywhere they’re going,” and a signature sale rack that Ochilltree describes as their “fabulous tutu for $22” section. (“Because you’re just ‘too-too fabulous,’” she joked.)
The shop will also run various promotions through the end of the month and introduce a loyalty-style program for frequent customers.
The boutique’s aesthetic reflects both her personality and that of her business partner. Pink (her favorite color) is all over the space, sharpened and softened by hints of purple (her partner’s favorite color).
Ochilltree said the boutique will be built around a core principle: Anyone helping customers will truly know dance inside and out.
“Anyone who waits on you in this boutique will have a background in dance — will have danced, owned a studio, been a dance mom who knows everything,” she said. “Whenever you show up at Tutu, you can be sure that whoever is waiting on you knows their P’s and Q’s about the business.”
Tutu Dance Boutique is Ochilltree’s “third act”
Ochilltree’s time in the dance world goes back to her earliest years, first beginning to dance as a toddler.
After going to college on a dance scholarship, she began to make a living on the stage, performing in dinner theaters and musical comedies. Her dancing shoes made appearances in productions such as “Hair”, “Dames at Sea” and “Salvation”.
Ochilltree went on to eventually run her own dance studio in St. Louis, aptly called Start Dancing. The studio primarily taught kids as young as she’d been when she first started dancing.
For more than 25 years, she also worked for dance apparel company Art Stone, where she got to watch countless children grow from beginners into seasoned dancers.
“There’s nothing better than fitting a baby in their first ballet shoes,” she said. “Very many of the first (customers) came back and came back and came back. You kind of see them growing up.”
For her, Tutu Dance Boutique isn’t just a place to buy shoes and tutus. It’s a way to stay connected to a world she believes is uniquely transformative — especially for the youngest dancers.
“They will learn confidence; they will stand up straight, and they will introduce themselves and have that little spark because they dance,” she said. “That’s enough to keep you going, no matter what you do in the future. I really am a firm believer in that.”
As she’s watched shelving go up, steamed tutus, and put together displays of shoes and leotards, she said, she’s been more and more eager to open the doors and welcome those dancers in.
“It’s been gratifying — I can’t put it in any other terms,” she said. “I’m totally, completely psyched, and I just feel we’re going to do very well, and people are going to really like us and enjoy shopping here.”
Want more local business news? Athletic wear retailer coming to Leawood’s Town Center Plaza
