Shop Around: Sisters-in-law from Lexington open traveling ladies boutique

India and Zena Panico are hoping ladies in the Midlands will let the holiday shopping come to them — in a 1965 vintage Shasta trailer.

The Lexington sisters-in-law launched Gypsy Chic, The Traveling Boutique, a ladies’ apparel, jewelry and handbag store housed in their recently purchased and retrofitted Shasta trailer. The trailer had already been painted hot pink and had a chandelier inside. The Panicos simply added some finishes and opened the fashion boutique they had dreamt about for years.

This fall, Gypsy Chic has rolled up at University of South Carolina football tailgating stations, Chamber of Commerce events, restaurant parking lots and bridal showers within 60 miles of its Lexington home base.

“So far it’s going great,” said Zena Panico, who also owns Zena’s Salon in Lexington. “My sister-in-law and I had always talked about opening a boutique but I have the salon and she’s the mother of a 5-year-old, so we didn’t have the time to devote to a full-time, brick-and-mortar business. We had the idea of taking it mobile, and the next day we found the trailer and the next day we bought it. Everything just kind of fell into place.”

The Panicos have also created a Gypsy Chic website (shopgypsychic.com) to allow customers to shop the boutique’s goods anytime. Those who want to step into the Shasta, however, can find the shop’s travel schedule on the website and its Facebook page.