LoverofDeLand—Deborah Lamb, owner of Samskara Soles on East New York Avenue, will celebrate three years in business in Downtown DeLand later this year.
PHOTO COURTESY DEBORAH LAMB
Roughly three years after the idea came to Deborah Lamb during a weekend yoga workshop to follow her passion, the DeLand resident has extended the lease on her upscale women’s boutique, Samskara Soles.
Located at 127 E. New York Ave., the boutique offers a large variety of women’s dress shoes and accessories, according to Lamb.
“It’s been something that I’ve always wanted to do, and DeLand is where I wanted to do it because of its quaintness and its charm,” Lamb said of opening a retail boutique. “I love being in DeLand.”
Lamb added that she sold her Orlando home and, along with her dog, Gina, relocated to DeLand in 2014 in order to be closer to her business — and the town she loves.
“I’ve been coming to the DeLand area for the past 25 years,” Lamb said. “I love being in DeLand.”
Prior to opening the shop, Lamb said, she had been in DeLand celebrating her birthday with friends when she first laid eyes on the storefront that would later become her shop.
The new lease, which Lamb signed in November 2015, will extend through 2017, Lamb said, and she will celebrate the boutique’s third anniversary at the end of October.
Prior to opening her boutique, Lamb worked as a medical massage therapist for about 20 years.
But it was Lamb’s passion for shoes that led her to want to open her own boutique, she said.
“I’ve always loved shoes; as a little girl, they just always make you feel good,” Lamb said. “It’s just an instant pick-me-up.”
As for how she settled on the boutique’s unique name, Lamb explained that the inspiration came to her during that yoga retreat. Lamb said it was when her yoga instructor spoke about “Samskaras,” which, Lamb said, refers to an Indian philosophy relating to imprints that are made on one’s mind through an experience.
In the future, Lamb said, she hopes to see her store grow, and to continue giving back to the town that now feels like home to her.
“The mission behind my business is basically to make every woman who walks in walk out feeling lovely,” Lamb said.
— Kate Kowsh, kate@beacononlinenews.com
