This Is Where It Begins Again: How I Chose to Close My Boutique and Build Something More Aligned
Hi, I’m Mariah — but you can call me Riah Jane.
Meet Mariah
If you’ve followed me for a while, you probably know me as the owner of Riah Jane & Co., a women’s boutique that lived both online and right in the heart of the town we call home. For three years, I poured everything I had into that business. It was more than a store — it was a dream come to life. A space that connected women not just through clothing, but through confidence, community, and conversation.
We built something beautiful. However, as time went on, I felt something else stirring — something quieter, deeper, and honestly… unexpected.
This is the story of why I chose to close the doors of something good, in order to make room for something even better. It’s a story about seasons, intentional living, asking hard questions, and being brave enough to change course — even when everything looks like it’s working on the outside.
Because sometimes, growth looks like letting go.
From Boutique Dreams to Big Life Questions
Riah Jane partial moodboard.
When I started my boutique, I was in a season of dreaming big and doing hard things. I wanted to serve women, curate effortless fashion, and create a space that felt warm and welcoming.I did that — both online and on the bustling blocks of our brick-and-mortar store.
We hosted events, launched collections, celebrated milestones, and built friendships that still mean the world to me. I learned so much from the women who came into our store, from fellow small business owners, and from the mentors who poured wisdom into me. I was stretched, challenged, and inspired in ways I’ll never forget.
But as time passed, so did the seasons of our life at home. My husband’s travel schedule grew, and his job changed.Our kids grew. I realized… so had I.
Running a storefront and working six days a week, keeping up with inventory, marketing, buying, shipping, and every hat I had to wear? It no longer fit the kind of life I wanted to build — especially not as a mom of three, trying to raise a family and hold onto myself in the process.
The truth is, I could feel it in my body before I could say it out loud: something had to change.
The Hardest (and Most Honest) Questions
There’s a quote that carried me through this transition:
“Endings aren’t failures — they are invitations to grow into something new.”
That’s what this was. Not a failure. But a turning point. A chance to pause and ask myself:
What do I really want?
What does my family need?
What kind of life am I building long-term?
These weren’t easy questions. They required stillness and honesty. They required me to step back from the hustle and truly listen to what my life was trying to teach me.
And what I heard — clearly — was this: I wanted more sustainability. More freedom. More peace. I wanted a business that worked with my life, not against it. I wanted to be present for my family and fulfilled by my work. I was finally brave enough to say that out loud.
Clarity came first. Growth followed.
Choosing to End Something Good (So I Could Grow Into Something Better)
The decision to close our boutique was intentional — and made with so much love. I honored that season with my whole heart. I didn’t walk away from something broken. I walked toward something more aligned.
Because that’s what this is really about: alignment.
I’ve always been an entrepreneur. That spirit isn’t going anywhere. But how I show up in this next chapter? It’s going to look and feel different. Because I am different. I’m no longer chasing hustle or constantly proving my worth through productivity. I’m building something rooted in purpose, clarity, freedom, and intentional living.
That’s what Inspired by Riah Jane is about.
So… What Is Inspired by Riah Jane?
This blog is the new home for my voice, my vision, and the things that light me up. It's where I’ll share recipes from our family kitchen, travel memories (the real and the dreamy), lifestyle tips, fashion finds that still bring me joy, and heartfelt business advice for fellow women entrepreneurs.
But more than that — it’s a space to talk about real life. The behind-the-scenes, the messy middles, the hard pivots, and the big questions we’re all carrying but don’t always say out loud.
It’s for the women like me — multi-passionate, pulled in a million directions, deeply rooted in family, and still wildly creative and called to build. It’s for the mamas who want margin and meaning. It’s for the small business owners learning to build smarter, not harder. It’s for anyone who’s ever looked around and whispered, there has to be a better way.
Spoiler: there is. And we’re going to figure it out together.
What I Gained in Letting Go
Here’s what I’ve learned in the quiet space after the goodbye:
Clarity is a gift — but you often have to slow down to receive it.
Growth doesn’t always look like more. Sometimes it looks like less, but better.
Choosing your family is never the wrong choice.
Letting go isn’t giving up. It’s giving yourself permission to grow.
Walking away from my boutique gave me something I didn’t even know I was missing: space to dream again. To reset. To breathe. To realign.
Now, I get to take everything I learned — the creativity, the resilience, the wisdom, the grit — and channel it into something new. Something better. Something me.
Mariah and youngest son, Theo.
If You’re in a Season of Transition Too…
I hope you leave this post feeling a little more hopeful. A little more seen. A little more empowered to ask your own hard questions.
Maybe you’re not where you thought you’d be. Maybe the thing you built isn’t fitting like it used to. Maybe you're longing for something more aligned, but unsure how to start again.
Let me just say: you’re not alone.
There’s no shame in change. In fact, I believe it’s where the best stories begin.
You are allowed to evolve. You are allowed to want a different kind of success. You are absolutely capable of building a life that feels like yours again.
This is where it begins for me. Maybe, just maybe — it’s the beginning of something for you too.
Let’s Stay Connected
If anything in this post resonated with you, I’d love for you to stick around. Subscribe to the blog. Join me on Instagram @inspiredbyriahjane. Share this post with a friend who needs a little hope.
Inspired by Riah Jane is just getting started — but I already know it’s going to be special. Not because it’s perfect, but because it’s real.
Thanks for being here. It means more than you know.
With so much gratitude,
Riah Jane