Meet Kym Stutzman | Boutique Owner & Personal Encourager

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kym Stutzman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kym, what do you attribute your success to?
The most important factor behind the success of Just Be Youtiful is faith. Just Be Youtiful is a women’s boutique in Surprise which resulted from a prophesy given to my husband Rich Stutzman. When he first told me that I was to open a store, we had five children (three in college), his parents, and his disabled brother all being supported mainly by my salary, as my husband was a fulltime caregiver. I was hesitant; but in 2021 we stepped out in faith and opened the storefront, relying 100% on the grace of God for its success. Our faith was rewarded with blessing after blessing. I like to say, “God doesn’t fail, so neither will the boutique.” The boutique features clothing, jewelry and accessories for women and features locally made artwork. I think that the brand of our boutique has been so successful because of the principles it was based on – community, service, and prayer. The store itself was designed to be a welcoming atmosphere with comfy chairs and continual worship music playing. The goal was to use the store as an outreach to the community and beyond; to share the love of Jesus quietly and maintain a strong prayer ministry for those who visit. We feature artwork and décor handmade by local artisans to further support our community. We believe that we are “beautifully and wonderfully” made by the Father and each visitor should leave feeling cherished, beautiful, and with a new sister in Christ!

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I was raised by Christian parents who didn’t drink or smoke and remained happily married until my dad died 6 years ago. Both of my parents contributed to their community be serving on positions at our church, our school, and our local fire department in addition to their careers. I wanted to follow in their footsteps and enrolled in a JD/PsyD program after college. While I decided to take the path of a lawyer, rather than a therapist, I ultimately used my counseling skills constantly in my law career. By the time I moved to Arizona in 2010, I had been a family law attorney, arbitration judge, real estate developer, and college professor.. I started teaching at the Law School in downtown Phoenix. after Rich and I were married. I later moved into community management, utilizing my life skills to manage large 55 plus communities in the West Valley to stay closer to home. Now that I have let go of thinking I was somehow defined by my salary or job title, I go to work six days a week happy as a lark. Sure, people thought we were crazy – losing my salary, putting our life savings into a retail store in the age of online shopping, on top of a pandemic! We didn’t start out small to build customers and grow into a brick and mortar store – we jumped right in on faith (the prophesy was that we will have four stores, by the way). I’ve learned that until we let go of whatever we are holding onto so tightly, we can’t turn empty hands to the Lord for the blessings He has for us. I believe that this philosophy of service and ministry of making people feel accepted and beautiful is what sets us apart. People come into the store to escape from the hectic world, to get a pick-me-up, or just to use all their senses to drink in the atmosphere; the smell of handmade scented candles, the sound of uplifting worship music, the feel of silks and linens, and the cacophony of beautiful sights – fabrics from India, fiber clay art from Sun City Grand, the sparkle of semiprecious gems and the welcoming curtains and seating. Now, some of my talented partners and customers have become dear friends and people return with updates on situations we have been praying for or share photos of how their purchases created a new (more confident) image for them. We have now expanded to doing Fashion Shows, onsite shopping experiences, scheduling workshops, and expanding to an online store as well – all in under 10 months. God is good and as long as He is still on the throne, this crazy world can’t hold us down!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Arizona has so much to offer – it is not just desert! It has snow, and lakes, and forests and spectacular beauty. I love to take visitors to some lesser visited spots like Coal Mine Canyon, Sunset Crater National Monument, and Vermillion Cliffs. Short day trips we love are the special exhibitions at the Desert Botanical Garden, various Missions in Southern Arizona, our local Wildlife World Zoo and Aquarium, Montezuma’s Castle, and the Japanese Friendship Garden. However, it is the off the map spots that have stolen my heart (a little harder to get to) Grand (AKA Chocolate) Falls, White Pocket, and the sparkling waters of Emerald Cove on the mighty Colorado. Like quirky? Cosanti in Paradise Valley, the Domes in Southern Phoenix, the alpaca farm in Wittmann, the wild peacocks at the Glendale Public Library and the burros of Oatman are always a must – with the requisite visit to the mining town of Jerome of course. You can ski on snow or water, attend a play or symphony, zipline over tiger cages, and visit ghost towns – what more can you ask for? We could day trip once a week and never discover all our state has to offer – I am hooked for good.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My husband, Rich Stutzman. Rich has always been a man of great faith. He trained as a paramedic after high school, but gave up that dream when his older brother was killed in a car accident at age 25. Rich then took his brother’s place working in the family business as an auto mechanic. Through over 45 years the company catered to serving the Valley by fixing cars – often taking barter in lieu of payment or providing free service or vehicles through the church. When Rich closed the shop to care for his bedridden mother and younger brother, he continued to care for the vehicles of his elderly customers so that they would not be taken advantage of. by others in the field. Rich not only encouraged me until I felt ready to step out in faith with the boutique; he also invested months of his time, sweat, and strength doing the build out of the store. Now that his parents and younger brother have gone to be with the Lord, he has settled in to write a novel – often putting it on hold to assist anyone and everyone who comes to him for help. He is my rock and I bless the broken road that led me here to him.

Website: www.justbeyou-tiful.com

Instagram: justbeyouti

Facebook: @JustBeYoutiful21