Fayetteville entrepreneur named on Forbes’ 30 under 30 list

Kirsten Blowers

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A local resident has received more national recognition for her achievement in business.

Fayetteville’s Kirsten Blowers, 29, who owns local boutique Riffraff on the Fayetteville square, was recognized by Forbes magazine as one of the most promising retail entrepreneurs in the country.

From the announcement:

What was once a furniture storefront in Fayetteville, Ark. is now a robust digital operation, shopriffraff.com, selling women’s wear that’s hip, affordable, and southern-tinged.

Blowers was one of only 600 young entrepreneurs recognized by the magazine, and one of only 30 working in the retail and e-commerce space. Honorees were selected in 20 different sectors, including art & style, finance, consumer tech, sports, and others.

“It’s an honor to be recognized on such a huge scale,” Blowers said in a news release about the announcement.

She was perhaps more candid on her Instagram account, saying “My name is in the same size font as Leon Bridges, Selena Gomez, and Fetty Wap. I’ll take it.”

It is the second national publication to recognize Blowers in the last two years. She also made Inc. magazine’s 30 under 30 list last year.

In a profile for her Inc. nomination, Blowers talked about how she turned her $100 initial investment into a multi-million dollar women’s boutique in the middle of one of the worst recessions in U.S. history. She started the store after graduating college when she was just 21 years old.

In addition to her Fayetteville boutique, she also operates a second brick-and-mortar location in Dallas, as well as her own wholesale brand, Charlie Southern. Blowers plans to launch a second wholesale line called Friday+Saturday in 2016.