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Wlaf1450Where My Heart Leads Thrifty Boutique provides women’s ministry
A NOTE FROM THE GRAND ON CENTRAL: “There is so much good going on in our community, and I want to share all this good with you every Monday here on WLAF in hopes that you will start your week in a grand way making each week a Grand Week,” said Olivia Lobertini, owner of The Grand on Central.
By Charlotte Underwood
LAFOL:LETTE, TN (WLAF)- Jannie Hartter (above) with Where My Heart Leads (WMHL) Thrifty Boutique guest spoke at last week’s Campbell County Rotary Club Luncheon held at the LaFollette Methodist Church.
The family run shop is “faith-filled, affordable and woman owned”, providing not only clothing and accessories, but a variety of ministries geared towards all women.
It is a “faith-based storefront with a heart for women and the community.”
The store offers “affordable fashion, formalwear, and bridal options while providing hope, encouragement and connections to local resources.”
Hartter and her daughter Katey opened the boutique in September of 2020 and then expanded last September with Hope and Grace Bridal & Formalwear by WMHL. The business doubles as a ministry for area women and is in partnership with other ministries including Bridges to Recovery, as well as Barn of Grace Ministries.
“We opened the store/ministry six years ago and our mission is to serve every woman in every season of life by offering hope, encouragement, and a pathway to resources that could change their future,” Hartter said.
The store verse is Proverbs 31:25 “She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.”
“We want to bestow that onto the women that come into our store, we want to love them, and we want them to be able to walk and serve the Lord in whatever way He chooses because we believe He has a plan for everyone,” Hartter said.
She went over the three-fold purpose of the store.
“First -off, ministry, if we have a woman come in and she is in need of a recovery home, it does not matter if she is on the street or a businesswoman with some sort of addiction, we will spend the time with her, whether it takes one hour, or days to get her into a recovery home or program and if a woman is in need of a homeless shelter, we do not have one in this area, but we will help find them transportation to get them to Scott County. We have resources in our store, and we try to be that bridge, if they find out they are pregnant, if they need Bridges to Recovery, if they need Ridgeview or Community Health of East Tennessee, we try to be that resource to connect them to those facilities and programs,” Hartter said.
Another part of the business is offering prayer.
“The greatest thing we can do for someone is pray for them, people come into the store, and we set aside time to pray for them. We have a prayer closet, we want to truly offer women that quiet space, if they have a busy life or if they don’t even know how to pray, we can help them and they can have that space to spend time alone in prayer or we can pray with them,” Hartter said.
The other aspect is the store’s thrifty boutique.
“Our community has blessed us so much in the last six years, it truly humbles me how the families and women in our community donate to our store. We take things only for women because the Lord called us to serve women. We take high-quality clothing, new or gently used and we try to offer that at a very affordable price…also we offer people a warm smile, a listening ear and a helping hand, we treat everyone like family,” Hartter said.
She said she gives all credit to God, because without Him, none of this would be possible.
“Bridges to Recovery was the first ministry that were able to walk alongside years ago. The way that works is that women get put into place in their program out of jail through drug court and they bring them to our shop and we let them shop the store like they deserve to, because they do and they can get all the things they need without feeling like it is a handout or feeling like it is something someone else has picked for them and they are so humbled and so blessed and they bless us. We get to walk alongside for the year that they are with them, we get to hear their stories, we get to pray with them and be a part of their fundraising events that they do, we try to step out and be a part of their lives the best that we can,” Hartter said.
This past year, the store also partnered with Barns of Grace Ministries.
“They make an eternal impact in the lives of survivors of abuse and human sex trafficking by providing tangible resources and mentorship in building a relationship with Christ and building healthy life skills,” Hartter said.
Other ministry aspects of Where My Heart Leads include offering affordable prom dresses for girls in the community of all ages. They also rent prom and formal wear dresses. Schools can reach out to Hartter, and if there are girls in need, the store will give them a gift certificate for a dress and they don’t know where it comes from, it is anonymous.
“That way we know the girls in our community are taken care of when they are needing a dress for an event if their families can’t afford it. That is one of the biggest blessings, seeing the looks on those girls faces when they come out of the dressing room and it’s worth hundreds of dollars and they are getting to take it home and they feel beautiful and special in it and they don’t feel like that girl doesn’t matter, so that’s what we strive for that every young girl is able to feel that way and feel loved,” Hartter said.
Where My Heart Leads Thrifty Boutique also make care-packs for girls and women in the community who are walking through abuse or neglect situations, as well as for women off the streets who may need hygiene items and things like that.
“The Lord called me here to do the best I can to represent Him and serve our community, and I am just blessed to be a part of it.”
A NOTE FROM THE GRAND ON CENTRAL: “There is so much good going on in our community, and I want to share all this good with you every Monday here on WLAF in hopes that you will start your week in a grand way making each week a Grand Week,” said Olivia Lobertini, owner of The Grand on Central.
For bookings, email Olivia Lobertini at ohlobertini03@gmail.com. Check on avails HERE. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED-08/24/2026-6AM)