Discover BIG Style in Small-town Holland

By SHARON WHITE | Photography by JUSTIN BORJA

Driving down Highway 95, just past the Holland Cemetery, don’t blink or you might miss a small, vintage gas station — painted bright pink and turquoise — complete with silver pennant bunting and giant metal cacti. If you get to the huge Holland grain silos, you’ve driven too far. You’ve passed Sissy Lala’s Clothing Boutique.

Owner Lannie Pacha (pronounced Lay-nee Pa-ha) opened the eclectic retail shop five years ago, after spending a year converting her grandfather’s dilapidated garage into something no one could have imagined — a trendy women’s clothing store. The outside still resembles the original vintage gas station, but the inside is loaded with a charming assortment of apparel, shoes, jewelry and accessories. And even some hometown memorabilia.

Lannie’s grandfather, Bill Pacha, constructed “Bill’s Garage” in 1949 as a gas station and auto repair shop. But in 1964, when Bill unexpectedly died of a heart attack, his brother, Anton Pacha, took over repairing tires in the old garage building. “Uncle Anton’s tire shop was a popular place,” Lannie remembers. “Not only did he repair tires, but he also sold chewing gum, sodas and cigars. Folks would come from all around to get their tires fixed and visit on a bench that still sits out front today. I remember, as a kid, running to the shop and sneaking Wrigley’s chewing gum from Uncle Anton’s machine.”

When Anton closed the tire shop in the 1980s, the garage sat vacant for over 30 years. In 2013, Lannie decided to refurbish the building and open a clothing boutique. “We had to power wash that cracked, oil-stained floor so many times,” Lannie recalls. “We finally ended up covering the concrete with a coat of glittery sealer!” But, the glitter only adds to the charm of this 70-year-old building that is now full of racks and shelves brimming with eclectic clothing, shoes and accessories.

“I left my full-time job when I opened Sissy Lala’s in 2014,” Lannie says. “We started out with a very small inventory. Now, we can hardly keep enough stock on hand. We go to market every week. Sometimes when we post an outfit on Facebook, it can literally sell out in 10 minutes. We have actually had to close the store twice, because we ran out of inventory. Our racks were completely empty.

“We’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback from returning clients during the past five years,” Lannie adds. “We keep our price points reasonable. I try to buy clothing at prices I would want to pay myself. We carry sizes from small to 3X. One of our best-selling items is our Judy Blue stretchy jeans — women seem to love them.”

Lannie works closely with her daughters. Bianca Cantu, 20, manages the shop and processes the orders. She also styles the clothing and keeps clients abreast of new inventory. Jade, 16, assists behind the scenes with pricing and creating displays.

Business shows no sign of slowing down for Lannie and her daughters, who are keeping it all in the family. Bill’s Garage may not look the same as it did 70 years ago, but Bill Pacha would undoubtedly be proud to see his vintage garage being maintained by his granddaughter with such eloquent style.

Sissy Lala’s
411 N. Franklin St. (State Highway 95), Holland | 254-654-2997
Open Wednesday – Saturday

2019 Fall Fashion Trends

• Sherpa fleece sweaters and jackets
• Buffalo plaid
• Cheetah/leopard print
• Popcorn sweaters
• Tops with full sleeves and sleeve details
• Dark florals (think 1970s)