Rae + Kae Boutique

Opportunity knocked.

 The time just wasn’t right. 

With their third child on the way and a new home under construction, opening a shop in Downtown Pittsburg just felt a tad out of reach.

“When the building owner reached out and asked if we’d be interested in the space, I said there was no way. Having a store in Pittsburg was a dream and definitely a long term goal, but there was just no way.”

But when Rae + Kae Boutique owner Shelby Cannon and her husband Travis went to look at the adorable little building at 203 N. Broadway, a path started to open.

They started to see how it could work.

“So we decided to at least go talk to the bank,” Shelby said. “And everything with the bank was so easy. Getting the building and materials and clothing was going to be easy. So we just said, ‘OK, let’s do it.’”

Rae + Kae Boutique, named for the Cannons’ two daughters, offers a wide variety of clothing and accessories for all shapes and sizes. From date nights and weddings to gameday or going to the office, Shelby said she loves providing quality looks for any occasion.

“We really can cater to anyone, regardless of their particular need at the time,” she said. “Everyone is different and goes shopping for different reasons, and we like providing a lot of options.”

This Pittsburg location is the second Rae + Kae in Southeast Kansas. The store got its start in Girard, where Shelby went to school and where her mother has a successful business. 

Born and raised in Pittsburg, Shelby always had her sights on opening a location here.

“With all of the growth and change here in Pittsburg, we always knew we wanted to eventually have a store here and be part of it,” Shelby said. “It’s amazing how much Pittsburg has changed even since I was in college.

“We used to talk about how fun it would be to just go out on a Saturday and shop downtown and grab a coffee. We can do that now. It’s really cool.”

Rae + Kae joins a Downtown Pittsburg scene that already featured several successful boutique shops, and Shelby said she’s excited to help continue the growth of Pitt’s shopping scene.

“We’re all different, which is what makes it so great,” she said. “None of the shops here carry the same exact things, so there’s really something for everyone. If there’s someone here who can’t find what they need, they can probably go next door to Embellish and find it there.

“I’m really big on community over competition, and I think you see that a lot in Pittsburg.”

A perfect sign of that, she said, was on her store’s opening day.

“The first day we opened, we had other businesses bringing us flowers,” she said. “The City of Pittsburg brought us a little goodies bag. The Blue Spoon brought us food. There are so many great businesses and people here. They’re all very welcoming.”

Now an official part of the thriving downtown scene, Shelby said she’s excited to see what’s next for the city.

“It’s so fun to see how many people have opportunities here to start businesses and buy buildings to remodel,” she said. “You can really feel the energy and excitement.”

Check out Rae + Kae Boutique at https://shopraeandkae.com/