Real West Virginian of the Week: Kaitlyn Glaspell — Building more than a boutique

By Hannah Yost, RealWV

BRIDGEPORT W.Va — When Kaitlyn Glaspell first began selling vintage clothing, she wasn’t dreaming of opening a storefront.

Instead, she was meeting customers in parking lots, curating clothing from a tiny booth inside an antique shop, and simply following a passion that had taken root while she was still in high school.

Today, that passion has grown into Sunmoon Apparel — a thriving West Virginia small business that has become much more than a vintage clothing store. It’s a creative community where local artists, musicians, and makers share their work, where sustainability meets self-expression, and where Glaspell is proving that meaningful businesses can flourish in the Mountain State.

“I want people to come in and feel happy,” Glaspell says. “We don’t have to be put in a box. We can wear things that make us feel good.”

At just 26 years old, Glaspell has already built a business that reflects not only her love for fashion, but also her love for West Virginia.

A lifelong West Virginian, Glaspell spent part of her childhood traveling as a member of a military family before returning to the Mountain State in 2015 to finish high school. It was during those high school years that the idea for SunMoon Apparel first took shape.

She began selling curated vintage clothing through meetups before eventually renting a small space inside a local antique shop.

“I built Sunmoon in a little space,” she says. “That’s really how I started my brand.”

The business continued to grow, but Glaspell never planned to open a storefront.

Then opportunity knocked.

While photographing products for another business, she learned about a small retail space that had become available. The rent was comparable to what she was already paying, and although the decision felt unexpected, she decided to take the leap.

“I had no intention of opening a store at all,” Glaspell says. “The opportunity just kind of fell into my lap.”

That leap of faith came in 2020 — just before the COVID-19 pandemic changed the world.

For many businesses, the timing would have been devastating. Instead of slowing down, however, Glaspell adapted.

When storefronts were forced to close and traditional sourcing became difficult, she and one of her closest friends traveled to California, purchasing clothing directly from community members and building the inventory that would continue growing Sunmoon Apparel.

“It started as, ‘Let’s just do this so we can travel,'” she says. “Then it became so much more.”

Today, every piece inside Sunmoon Apparel is hand-selected.

Glaspell personally sources the store’s inventory, intentionally choosing quality vintage pieces that encourage customers to shop more thoughtfully while giving clothing a second life.

“I want that movement to keep rolling,” she says. “Thrifting with intention and choosing things thoughtfully is really important to us.”

But clothing is only part of the story.

Over the past two years, Sunmoon Apparel has evolved into a space that supports approximately 40 local artists and makers, offering everything from jewelry and artwork to wellness products.

Rather than simply purchasing wholesale products, Glaspell invites artists to become part of the shop itself.

“They’re involved in our space,” she says. “They’re coming in and doing workshops and little events.”

The store has hosted yoga classes, live music, community workshops, and other gatherings designed to bring people together.

“We’re more than just fashion,” Glaspell says. “We want people to have an experience.”

That desire to build community recently inspired another chapter in Sunmoon Apparel’s story.

Earlier this year, Glaspell launched a mobile boutique inside a custom-built trailer, allowing her to take Sunmoon Apparel across West Virginia.

Designed with the help of her father, who built the trailer from plans Glaspell sketched herself, the mobile boutique has already appeared at festivals, community events, and markets throughout the state.

“I wanted to be more a part of the community and travel more,” she says.

While many entrepreneurs dream of expanding beyond state lines, Glaspell says her focus remains firmly rooted in West Virginia.

“I feel called to explore the towns here and be within our community here in West Virginia,” she says.

That commitment to community extends beyond business.

As the mother of a 3-year-old daughter, Glaspell says balancing entrepreneurship and motherhood has been one of her greatest challenges. Hand-selecting inventory, managing a storefront, traveling with the trailer, and raising a young child often requires careful planning and the support of family.

“It’s been a journey trying to balance all of that,” she says.

Recently, she celebrated another milestone by hiring her first employee — something she never imagined would one day become possible.

“I never thought I would be at a point where I could hire someone because I needed to be somewhere else,” she says.

Looking back, Glaspell credits the people around her for making Sunmoon Apparel possible.

“I wouldn’t still be doing this if it wasn’t for the community and the blessings from other people,” she says. “We’re like a little village over here, and everyone just keeps showing up.”

She believes that same sense of community is what makes West Virginia unlike anywhere else.

“My husband was born and raised here, this is where our family is, and we love it here,” Glaspell says. “The community is what keeps people in West Virginia.”

For aspiring entrepreneurs, her advice is refreshingly simple.

“Go with your heart, and your blessings will follow,” she says. “As long as you’re doing something that feels authentic to you, I feel like the support will come.”

As Sunmoon Apparel continues to grow, Glaspell isn’t focused on building a national brand or opening stores across the country.

Instead, she’s focused on something much closer to home — creating spaces where people feel welcome, supporting fellow artists, traveling the backroads of West Virginia, and reminding others that creativity has a place in the Mountain State.

After all, that’s exactly what Sunmoon Apparel has become.

Not just a boutique, but a community.

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