Friends Shaune Freeland and Julie Price realized their dream when they presided over a ribbon-cutting ceremony for their Monkee’s fashion boutique in Fishermen’s Village in Punta Gorda.

Freeland, a Punta Gorda Isles resident, and Price, who resides in the city’s Historic District, were surrounded by their spouses, children, supporters, friends and members of the Punta Gorda and Charlotte County chambers of commerce March 6 as they celebrated the store’s opening.

The boutique features women’s fashion for all ages, in addition to shoes, accessories and gifts. Styles range from trendy to classic, and on the day of the grand opening, teens and women of all ages were shopping.

Monkee’s isn’t the typical Florida boutique with mostly colorful and tropical designs. While it does have colorful clothing, it also has a section featuring classic styles and neutral tones.

Freeland said their boutique is “trying to figure out the latest and greatest trends” and emphasized that the boutique has “a great jeans line.” In about five months, Monkee’s will be selling its merchandise online.

There is a men’s section, but it doesn’t feature clothing. Instead, there are four comfortable chairs grouped around a coffee table where spouses and partners can sit while the women in their lives shop.

Although Freeland and Price have extensive backgrounds in business, neither have worked in the fashion industry. They said that buying a Monkee’s franchise was their best option to achieve success, Price explained.

Previously, Freeland owned an insurance company and worked in real estate, while Price was in medical sales and also worked in real estate with Freeland.

The franchise hit all of the marks by providing training and ongoing support in addition to assisting in site selection, store design, buying, marketing and operations.

The franchiser was looking at Fishermen’s Village as a possible site at the time Freeland and Price were considering opening their boutique.

Monkee’s allows franchisees to sell the brands of their choice that they find in places such as the Atlanta Market at AmericasMart in downtown Atlanta, a 13-story sourcing destination for boutiques and other retailers.

Price said each Monkee’s is a bit different since the owners choose what they want to sell.

Price and Freeland made the trip to Atlanta to choose the apparel, shoes, accessories and gifts for their boutique, and they described the experience as both thrilling and also daunting, as there are tons of items in the 13-story merchandise building.

Perhaps the one thing Monkee’s boutiques have in common is that each is between 1,200 to 1,500 square feet. Monkee’s in Punta Gorda is 1,046 square feet and is in the same space that Guiditta’s and the Military Heritage Museum once occupied.

There are now 65 Monkee’s boutiques in 12 states, including eight in Florida.

The company was founded by Dee Dee Shaw whose business began with a small shoe store in Wilmington, North Carolina, in 1995.

She named her business after the phrase her mother called her children, her bunch of monkeys.

As her business grew, Shaw stocked more merchandise and then began offering franchises.

According to the Monkee’s website, franchisees must have a minimum of $200,000 to start their business.

Monkee’s in Punta Gorda is located near the entrance of Fishermen’s Village, next to Coldwell Banker Sunstar Realty.

Addressing the gathering at the end of the ribbon cutting, Freeland said Monkee’s is a family business.

Her daughter, who is 28, and Price’s daughter, who is 14, both work at the boutique.

“We’re teaching them the work ethic,” Freeland said.

Looking at their decorated storefront, Freeland said the space “began as fashion when it was Guiditta’s, and now it is ending as fashion.”