After 14 years in the same location, Crush Boutique is moving from 131 to 138 Charles Street. The move will begin on June 18 and doors will open at new shop on Sunday, June 20th.

In late March, 138 Charles almost became a smoke shop. Blue Moon Smoke Shop had signed a 10-year lease and started construction, but its doors never opened.

At five other locations in Massachusetts, Blue Moon sells tobacco products and smoke accessories.

When word spread about the smoke shop moving in, residents spoke out. Over 160 people showed up to express their concern at Zoom meeting with City Councilor Kenzie Bok and State Representative Jay Livingstone. Community members were particularly concerned about the shop’s proximity to parks, an ice cream shop, and several schools.

Shortly after the Zoom call, Blue Moon Smoke Shop proprietor Malik Hyat announced he would back out of the lease.

Laura Ayers, co-owner of Crush Boutique, was present at that virtual meeting.

“This is a community and a very child-heavy neighborhood. It didn’t feel like the right use for the space,” Ayers said of the smoke shop’s location. Ayers and co-owner Rebecca Hall had considered moving Crush Boutique to a new location, but hadn’t seriously looked into it. When 138 became available after Blue Moon exited the picture, a local realtor alerted them.

“We stumbled upon it and it just felt right. We’re really excited,” Ayers said.

Crush will be expanding its offerings, including a wider variety of home goods and gifts.

“131 Charles Street was good to us; it launched our business. But for years we’ve felt like, for growth, being street level would have a huge impact. We’ve kind of been waiting for the opportunity to arise,” Ayers said.

Ayers and Hall grew up as childhood friends in Connecticut. They shared a dream of opening a boutique together. After graduating from liberal arts schools and entering the corporate world, they found they were unfilled by work.

“We decided to kind of just take a leap of faith,” Ayers said.

To prepare to open their own business, Ayers and Hall took fashion courses at Mass Art and workshops with Small Business Association.

They came across 131 Charles Street through a Craigslist posting and opened Crush Boutique in 2007.

Crush’s second location on Newbury Street closed in April 2020, in the midst of the pandemic. The decision to close was partly economic and partly to focus on expanding online and instore offerings at a single location, Ayers said.

The pandemic, while difficult for business, showed the dedication of Beacon Hill neighbors.

“I don’t know if we would have made it if we hadn’t been in such a supportive, loyal neighborhood,” Ayers said. The two also co-own Whitney and Winston on Charles Street, a gift and home accessories shop with clothing and toys for kids. While Ayers no longer lives in Beacon Hill, “It still kind of feels like home. It’s a community that’s really special to me,” she said.

Ayers and Hall plan to a host small opening celebration at 131 Charles Street in late August or September.