Fashion expert’s second boutique will be in Port

While Port Washington is not a large city, it’s the perfect place to locate a boutique, Lynn Bucci said.

Bucci, a former buyer for Macy’s in New York City, is opening the second location of her boutique Happenstance in the former Yummy Bones restaurant space at the corner of Main and Franklin streets in downtown Port.

“I just love Port Washington — the historic feeling, the charm,” she said.

Port also has a sense of community, Bucci said, that drew her and her store to it.

“Obviously, we love fashion, but it’s more than that. We’re trying to create a place where people gather and build relationships,” she said. 

And to do that, she said, her shop hosts a variety of events to draw people.

In Kewaskum, where her first boutique is located, those include monthly third Thursday events complete with drinks and appetizers and vendor gatherings so customers can meet the people who make the items they buy.

“I feel we’re just scratching the surface of what we can do,” she said.

In Port, Bucci said, she wants to host some of the same types of events and also participate in the many offerings sponsored by Port Main Street Inc.

“We’re excited to see what we can do here,” she said, noting they hope to open in “early fall.”

Happenstance, she said, is a reflection of her love of fashion.

The clothing, which generally run from extra small to extra large, is “easy to wear, versatile” and different from what’s offered at other shops in Port, Bucci said.

While much of it is casual, “If you need to get dressed up for work, we’ll have things you can use for that too. There are definitely pieces that are elevated and you could wear to work or a function,” she said.

The shop will also feature denim pieces, Packers gear and accessories such as jewelry, purses and perfumes, she said.

And, she noted, the clothing isn’t necessarily fast fashion.

“They’re going to last in your closet,” Bucci said.

Bucci, who grew up in New Jersey, has always worked in retail. 

She was a buyer for Macy’s in New York City, and “literally fell in love with it,” she said of the industry. “I always thought eventually I would open a store of my own.”

While in New York, she met her husband Mike Auer, who grew up in Waubeka. The couple moved to the area and Bucci took a buyer’s job with Duluth Trading Co.’s corporate office.

Then the pandemic hit, Bucci said, changing the corporate atmosphere.

At that point, she said, Macy’s approached her with an offer to work for the company remotely, and she took it. But it wasn’t the same.

“I looked at my husband and said, ‘If I’m going to work this hard, I’d rather do it for myself,’” Bucci said.

She took some time off and thought hard about the idea.

“I finally stopped being scared about it and did it,” she said. “I would never turn back or change it — if anything, I would do it sooner.”

When looking for a location, they considered Port but ultimately settled on a Kewaskum location. That store opened on Nov. 9, 2024.

The name Happenstance came after a lengthy search, Bucci said.

“I sat down with the dictionary in my lap for weeks,” she said. “I wanted a name that felt whimsical but not too playful.”

Then her husband suggested Happenstance. Bucci said she looked up the meaning and was sold on it.

Happenstance means coincidence, and Bucci said her life has been defined by it.

“I fell into the retail world by happenstance. I met my husband by happenstance,” she said. “It evoked what I wanted. I really do love the name, but I have to give my husband credit.”

Things have been going so well in Kewaskum that when the Yummy Bones space opened up, Bucci and her husband decided to take the leap and open a second shop.

“It happened quicker than anticipated,” she said. “We always had our eyes open because we knew a second location was something we always wanted to do. Port Washington was always on the list. 

“This was the perfect spot. We jumped at it.”

Bucci said that converting a restaurant to a boutique has been a challenge, but the space has everything she’s looking for.

“I feel generally that space is pretty open. It’s nice and big,” she said.

A vent hood in the spaceleft over from Yummy Bones has been interesting to consider, Bucci said, adding, “we have some fun plans for that.”

The renovations have been going well, she said.

“Knock on wood, everything’s been going on schedule. We’re so excited. I’m really excited to get into the Port community, to get to know everyone and what they’re looking for. I’m a buyer; I’m always on the hunt for the things people are looking for.”