Etoile Boutique

WINNER: BEST WOMEN’S CLOTHING STORE

Photos by Roberto Gonzalez

When Falon Quillen took over Etoile Boutique in 2010, she approached it with a keen eye for aesthetics honed from her years as a hairstylist, photographer and jewelry maker. Her goal was to elevate the vintage shop, making it a haven where people could find the best version of themselves with the help of their newest best friends.

An excursion into Etoile—French for “star”—becomes a multisensory experience, an amalgamation of colors and textures, smells and sounds complete with a furry friend awaiting affection. There customers can find well-curated vintage clothing, handmade jewelry, home and body products, and even furniture. Most of all, they can find “the most confident version of themselves,” says Quillen, aka Mama Milk District.

Quillen earned her moniker for her tireless efforts to revive her Orlando community. In 2011, she launched Tasty Takeover, the area’s longest-running food block party, now housed in Etoile’s parking lot every Tuesday night from 6 to 10. The profits from that venture helped the Milk District become a Main Street America neighborhood. 

The result has been transformative. “We’ve had so many more awesome businesses coming into the neighborhood, and there’s more money coming in. It’s getting the facelift that it’s needed,” she says.

Tourists often make a point of stopping by in search of unique finds, in addition to some regulars who come by twice a week to stay on top of any new inventory. The shop also rents outfits for photo shoots and costume parties. 

Etoile itself has gotten a facelift of its own, doubling in size to 1,300 square feet in the middle of COVID when other locally owned businesses were closing their doors. That has allowed the vintage shop to expand its offerings to include furniture, everything from coffee tables to credenzas to dressers or couches.

“People come in and they find styles for themselves, but now we can say we have unique styles for you and your home,” Quillen says.

As Etoile has evolved, Quillen has also seen her clientele diversify as more people, including teens, embrace vintage styles. “There are people who are falling in love with vintage and all of what that means from the music, the movies, the art, the clothes, even just the way that they present themselves in the world,” she says.

Whatever brings people in, Quillen hopes people will walk out with a newfound confidence. “It really makes me feel like I do what I’m meant to do when people say, ‘Thank you. I’ve never felt like this before,’” she says. “I hear that from people, and I make that my goal.”

BROWSE WINNERS BY CATEGORIES

Women’s Clothing Store
Men’s Clothing Store
Mall
Jeweler
CAssisted Living/ Retirement Community
Favorite Charity
Bookstore
Florist
Gift Shop
Home Builder
Home Organization
Interior Designer
Kitchen & Bath Store
Pool Builder
Place To Shop For CBD
Bicycle Shop
Boat Dealer
Car  Dealership
RV Dealer
Tire Center

Women’s Clothing Store

1 Etoile Boutique
Orlando
etoileboutique.com

2 Style Encore
Multiple Locations
style-encore.com

3 Jarboe
Orlando
jarboeinc.com

Men’s Clothing Store

1 John Craig
Winter Park
johncraigclothier.com

2 Dechoes Resale
Orlando
dechoesresale.com

3 Neiman Marcus
Orlando
neimanmarcus.com

The Mall at Millenia

Mall

1 The Mall at Millenia
Orlando
mallatmillenia.com

2 The Florida Mall
Orlando
simon.com

3 International Premium Outlets
Orlando
premiumoutlets.com

Jeweler

1 Bay Hill Jewelers
orlando & Winter Park
bayhilljewelers.com

2 Victoria Jewelers
Orlando
victoriajewelers.net

3 Be On Park
Winter Park
beonpark.com

Assisted Living/ Retirement Community

1 Benton House
Multiple Locations
bentonhouse.com

2 Mayflower
Winter Park
themayflower.com

3 Westminster
Multiple Locations
westminstercommunitiesfl.org

Favorite Charity

1 Chance 2 Dance
Maitland
chance2danceinc.org

2 Kids Beating Cancer
Winter Park
kidsbeatingcancer.com

3 Runway to Hope
Orlando
runwaytohope.org

Bookstore

1 BrightLight Books
Fern Park
brightlightbooks.com

2 Barnes & Noble
Multiple Locations
barnesandnoble.com

3 Writer’s Block Bookstore
Winter Park
writersblockbookstore.com

Florist

1 In Bloom Florist
Lake Mary & Orlando
inbloomflorist.com

2 Betty J’s Florist
Winter Garden
myorlandoflorist.com

3 Lake Eola Florist
Downtown Orlando
adowntownflorist.com

Gift Shop

1 Paper Goat Post
Baldwin Park
papergoatpost.com

2 The Lovely Boutique Market
Orlando
thelovelyboutiquemarket.com

3 The Primrose Shop
Orlando
theprimroseshop.com

Home Builder

1 Phil Kean Design Group
Winter Park
philkeandesigns.com

2 Rey Homes
Winter Park
reyhomes.com

3 Budron Homes
Orlando
budronhomes.com

Home Organization

1 California Closets
Orlando
californiaclosets.com

2 KBF Design Gallery
Maitland
kbfdesigngallery.com

3 The Container Store
Orlando
containerstore.com

Courtesy of KBF Design Gallery.

Interior Designer

1 KBF Design Gallery
Maitland
kbfdesigngallery.com

2 Phil Kean Design Group
Winter Park
philkeandesigns.com

3 Blue Daze Designs
Orlando
bluedazedesigns.com

Kitchen & Bath Store

1 KBF Design Gallery
Maitland
kbfdesigngallery.com

2 Artisan Kichen & Bath Gallery
Winter Park
artisankbgallery.com

3 West Elm
Orlando
westelm.com

Courtesy of Premier Pools of Central Florida

Pool Builder

1 Premier Pools of Central Florida
Winter Park
premierpoolsofcentralfl.com

2 Pools By Bradley
Lake Mary & New Smyrna Beach
poolsbybradley.com

3 SRI Pools
Edgewater
sripools.com

Place To Shop For CBD

1 SunMed Your CBD Store
Multiple Locations
getsunmed.com

2 TruHemp CBD Store
Orlando
truhemp.net

3 The Hemp Depot
Orlando
the-hemp-depot-orlando.business.site

Bicycle Shop

1 Orange Cycle
College Park
orangecycleorlando.com

2 Kyle’s Bike Shop
Orlando
kylesbikeshop.net

3 Retro City Cycles
Orlando & Longwood
retrocitycycles.com

Boat Dealer

1 MarineMax Orlando
Orlando
marinemax.com

2 Regal & Nautique of Orlando
Orlando
orlandonautiques.com

3 Boat Tree Marina
Sanford
boattree.com

Car  Dealership

1 Tesla
Eatonville
tesla.com

2 Massey Cadillac
Orlando
masseycadillac.com

3 Fields BMW
Orlando & Winter Park
fieldsbmw.com

RV Dealer

1 Giant Recreation World
Winter Garden
giantrecreationworld.com

2 Camping World
Kissimmee
rv.campingworld.com

3 La Mesa RV
Sanford
lamesarv.com

Tire Center

1 Tire Kingdom
Multiple Locations
tirekingdom.com

2 Discount Tire
Multiple Locations
discounttire.com

3 Inlign Automotive
Longwood
inlignauto.co

BEST OF 2023 | FOOD & DRINK | COMMUNITY, HOME & SHOPPING | MEDIA & PEOPLE | FUN & LEISURE | HEALTH & BEAUTY | KIDS & PETS | PROFESSIONAL SERVICES