Sisters bring style for 'real women' to Lake Lorraine at Love Marlow boutique

Twin sisters Stacey and Leslie Malmgren dreamed of owning their own business for years and made it a reality when they opened Love Marlow at Lake Lorraine in November 2018.

When you walk into the space, you’ll notice the bright light, tall ceilings and view of Lake Lorraine out the back windows. The view is what helped sell the sisters on the retail space. Some shoppers walk in and ask, “Where’s the plus size section?” — but there is no “section” for plus sizes; Love Marlow caters to women sizes 12 to 28, a unique niche in women’s boutiques both here in Sioux Falls and nationwide.

“Our background is in bridal and we loved helping women feel beautiful,” Leslie said. “We wanted to apply it to every day so that women can feel amazing in our clothes.”

The sisters have an eye for fashion and wanted to shop at boutiques to support local businesses and wear cute clothes.

“But, being plus-size ourselves, we had limited clothing options,” Stacey said. “In reality plus size (sizes 16-18) is the average size of a woman; why not help the average woman feel beautiful?”

The Malmgrens say the fashion world has not yet caught up with the real world by offering real-sized women fashionable options. Love Marlow carries a variety of designers offering fashion that is both high-quality and affordable. They said their customers have appreciated the store’s arrival as the majority of plus-size fashion options are only available online. You can find Love Marlow online, too (shoplovemarlow.com) — but when you go into the store, you can try items on and have help pulling together looks. “Plus, who doesn’t want to walk out with shopping bags?” Leslie said.

The Malmgrens recently attended the spring market in Las Vegas, shopping for the next seasons. They rotate their inventory regularly and only order limited amounts of each style so not everyone will have the same shirt.

One of the best-selling options are treggings, which are trouser leggings. The treggings have a smoother built in and look like a dress pant, yet are comfortable like sweatpants. New trends coming for spring include bright greens and yellows, floral prints, all shades of blue and lots of red. Summer looks will arrive in April. The sisters said they receive new items weekly, which give shoppers plenty of reasons to visit the store regularly.

Love Marlow carries clothing and accessories. The store also sell bath bombs from Juniper Apothocary and designs from local jeweler Luna B, and the Malmgrens are always looking for opportunities to partner with other local businesses.

The name “Love Marlow” holds special significance to the sisters.

“’Love’ is how we want our customers to feel about themselves. The name ‘Marlow’ means driftwood. As we progress through our lives, we all change — but at the core, we are still the same. In the end, we are all a different version of driftwood,” they said.

Love Marlow is located on Marion Road on the west side of Lake Lorraine. Shop in store or online at shoplovemarlow.com or follow them on Facebook and Instagram (@ShopLoveMarlow) to see new styles.