Boyce Excavating family tries hand at retail

After a year researching retail options best-suited for Branson, Tracy Boyce grabbed an Apricot Lane Boutique franchise.

Boyce recently opened the store in Branson Landing, where she carries Lucky, Trinity, 7 For All Mankind and Steve Madden brands. The Branson Landing store is three-year-old Apricot Lane's first in Missouri.

The new store is a family project with her husband, Tom Boyce, owner of Tom Boyce Excavating Inc. Boyce's company was one of the subcontractors of the $420 million Branson Landing development; Boyce Excavating received a $12 million contract from general contractor Killian/Turner Construction. Sons Tommy Boyce, 19, and Logan Mann, 12, help out in the store.

Apricot Lane franchisees pay a $25,000 franchise fee, plus royalties and advertising fees totaling 6.5 percent, according to www.apricotlaneusa.com. Startup investments range between $100,000 and $200,000.

The Apricot Lane franchise, operating under parent company Country Visions, has 34 stores, mostly on the West Coast. The shop targets 20-35-year women with designer-label denim, jewelry, handbags and tops, including organic cotton products.

The Branson Landing space used to house Fresh Produce Handpicked clothing. The Boyces have remodeled inside with an urban look featuring brick walls and a flat-screen TV showing music videos.

It didn't take fashionista and entertainer Dalena Ditto - whose show is at the Oak Ridge Boys Theatre - long to discover the new boutique.

"I bought three pairs of jeans yesterday, and came back this morning," Ditto said on a recent visit where she picked out black sandals with rhinestones.

Top chef classes for teens

The Keeter Center at College of the Ozarks last week hosted the fourth annual weeklong Culinary Day Camp for students ages 14 to 18, said Beth Huddleston, assistant professor of family and consumer science. The dozen participating students were nearly an even split of boys and girls with interests in the culinary arts.

"Kids are watching the Food Network now," Huddleston said.

The youngsters explored culinary arts in a hands-on, interactive workshop sponsored by the college's dietetics and hotel/restaurant management programs. Keeter Center Executive Chef Robert Stricklin leads the summer project, in which local restaurateurs also participate, instructing students on the cultural background, preparation and presentation of authentic Ozarks cuisine, a Stricklin specialty.

This year's camp includes a field trip and meal at a local restaurant, Cracker Barrel; a tour of the college's hog farm and processing plant where students produce ham, smoked sausage and other meats; dining in the campus cafeteria; and an evening reception at The Keeter Center to conclude the week. The participants plan, prepare and serve the reception dinner to their families. This year's main course: bluegill fish, rabbit sausage, chicken soup and wilted greens salad.[[In-content Ad]]Kathryn Buckstaff is membership public relations manager of Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce.