You Won't Believe the Heart Behind This Yellow Building in East Austin

Altatudes is the first high-end boutique located in east Austin (Credit: Dwayne Hills/DHills Photography)

Wander down East 12th Street and you’ll find your eye drawn to a bright, yellow storefront close to Chicon Street. When you step through the front door, you shouldn’t be surprised to find an interior just as cute as the exterior of the building. This east Austin high-end boutique, Altatudes, is owned and operated by Alta Alexander, who is as charming as she is passionate and giving.

Story Behind Altatudes Boutique

Altatudes features over 25 designer labels, including local designer Nina Means
(Credit: Dwayne Hills/DHills Photography)

Since childhood, Alexander dreamt of becoming the owner of her own boutique. Her passion led her to work in several managerial positions at high-end boutiques and department stores. She finally claimed her own business in February 2017 when her husband, Lamont, gifted her with the property that would become Altatudes. It was the Valentine’s Day present of a lifetime.

Alta Alexander has a strong passion for giving back to the community and seizes every opportunity to get involved where she can (Credit: Dwayne Hills/DHills Photography)

Supported by her husband and his “go-getter” mentality, Alexnader took the plunge into life as a boutique owner. She carefully crafted her shop to express an upscale, inviting, soft attitude.

The yellow that decorates the store’s exterior has a multitude of meanings: happiness, royalty (everyone who walks through the door is a queen), and even a nod to Alexander’s alma mater–Huston-Tillotson University. The awning over the front door was added as a wink to the owner’s southern front porch hospitality.

Altatudes features high-end women’s apparel and accessories from over 25 designer labels, such as Alexander Michael Snyder, Elizabeth Gillet, Nita Suri, and Austin designer Nina Means. Some of the store’s pieces are exclusive to Altatudes.

Alexander loves that she has been given the opportunity to curate uniquely gorgeous pieces, but her favorite part about her beautiful store is the moment a woman steps out of the dressing room with a glow on her face, showing she’s found something that gives her an extra boost of confidence. That moment, Alexander tells me, is priceless.

Fashionista With a Passion for Giving

This east side boutique is invested in the surrounding community (Credit: Dwayne Hills/DHills Photography)

Alexander may have a strong passion for curating beautiful clothes and inspiring women, but she also has a heart of gold that leads her to provide for others and give back to the community. While Altatudes officially opened in September 2017, Alexander started her philanthropic journey earlier that summer.

“Community service is something that is vital to me, so prior to opening Altatudes, I immediately looked at opportunities where I could get involved in the East Austin community,” she says.

Alexander approached the East Side Back to School Supply Drive, where she became a “co-conspirator:” a collaborator in the effort to incite the community to donate supplies for elementary and middle school children in east Austin.

As a collection location for school supplies, Altatudes generated two boxes of supplies. Alexander will be partnering with the supply drive again this year, receiving donations between July 15 and Aug. 30, 2018.

Altatudes sticks to its mission of making customers feel like queens, by empowering women through events that inspire and educate. The first event in this endeavor, called Hearts and Handbags, was hosted in February 2018. It helped boost the self-esteem and confidence of 17 underprivileged young women.

Always happy to support organizations with a cause, Alexander hosts “shop for a cause” events that give back. One such event contributed proceeds to Shalom Austin Jewish Community Foundation, where funds were earmarked for therapy to help underprivileged girls.

The list of organizations Alexander partners with only grows: The Links, Incorporated; National Council of Negro Women; NAACP-Austin; and Austin Urban League. She was recently elected to the inaugural East 12th Street Merchants Association Board of Directors to advocate for businesses in the 12th Street corridor. Talk about a passion to serve the community!

Altatudes is a beautiful addition to the east Austin community and Austin as a whole, not just because of the cute storefront, but because of the philanthropic and kind heart behind the whole operation.

1717 E. 12th St. – Website

@theAustinot wants to know:

Have you visited Altatudes boutique on 12th Street?