We recently connected with Landrie Miller and have shared our conversation below.

Landrie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

I had just gotten married and found out I was expecting a child. My husband and I needed to ensure our success as new parents, and decided to open our own business. We had a few ideas, but most of them seemed out of reach. We shared a love for Halloween and wanted to pursue a business related to the holiday. So we could not only love what we do, but also bring a uniqueness to the city. So many other things had been done before, and we needed to stand out amongst other businesses. After much deliberation and planning, we opened Spoox Bootique. Neither of us had ever owned our own business and it was a bit intimidating and downright scary. But with lots of support from our friends, family and the community, we’ve been open for 13 years! It has been an amazing adventure and I am so grateful we took the risk! I couldn’t imagine doing anything else!

Landrie, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

We originally started with lifestyle products that were Halloween or macabre based. For example, skull toilet brushes and spider web shower curtains. For people who love Halloween year round. Through the years, it has grown to also offer oddities, bones, horror movie collectibles, local art and everything curious and weird. Spoox is a place where you can come in and see something you’ve never seen before. From vintage medical quackery, taxidermied squirrels, used caskets and emblaming machines. I also have over 25 local artists who create unique items for the shop. Creating a family environment that really supports our local community. We welcome the weird and different.

Can you open up about a time when you had a really close call with the business?

When Covid hit in 2020, we were forced to close our doors for quarantine. Being my only source of income, I was terrified that we wouldn’t make it as a business. Thankfully, our landlords were forgiving on us not being able to pay rent in those months of closure. But most of all, our customers deemed us essential. When they started getting their stimulus checks, they came here and made sure our doors stayed open! Without them, I wouldn’t be here! I am so grateful for my customers!

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I think being the only type of business like this in Salt Lake really helped us to stand out. Offering such unique products has ensured a different experience for every customer, every time they come in. People talk. And they love to talk about something new or strange that they’ve seen. After leaving my shop, they will tell anyone who listens about what they’ve just experienced. This, in turn, sparks the curiosity of the community to come in see for themselves. This has helped us to grow immensely! Word of mouth! I try to keep my shop filled with the weirdest things possible to make sure there’s something to talk about when you leave here. Even if my products aren’t something you would buy, you will definitely tell a friend who would. So again, I owe it all to the community for keeping us alive! Dead alive! Mwa ah ah!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @SpooxMama
• Facebook: Facebook.com/spooxbootique

Image Credits
Pushing up Daisies Skull of Hard Rocks