By Ann Donnelly
At a time when shopping malls are shifting their strategies to include more locally owned, experiential businesses, one Queensbury storefront is successfully blending retail and self-care. Rise Above Boutique, located next to JCPenney in the Aviation Mall in Queensbury, is expanding its reach by integrating handcrafted products with personal care services.
Crystal Warner, who operates the boutique and its newly added Radiant Skincare Studio, originally started her business to solve a personal challenge. After a diagnosis of Hashimoto’s autoimmune disorder, Warner struggled with skin issues, particularly on her face.
“They put me on medication for the thyroid. However, it wasn’t treating the root cause of the problem,” Warner said. “So, I just started making my own face cream at home.”
Her formulations, which rely heavily on natural ingredients such as shea butter, cocoa butter, jojoba oil and vitamin E oil, yielded strong results. After sharing the creams with friends with skin conditions such as psoriasis and eczema, their positive feedback prompted her to start selling her skin care products.
Warner initially operated out of a home studio before moving to the Shirt Factory in Glens Falls. “I was there for about a year and then outgrew the space,” she said. Around the same time, she decided to return to school to become a licensed esthetician. The move required a larger location, leading her to open at the Aviation Mall in October 2025.
“This used to be a hair salon,” she noted, which made it an ideal space for her growing self-care brand. The boutique’s presence highlights a broader trend in the retail industry, as mall management increasingly recruits independent local businesses and experience-based tenants over traditional national retail chains.
Today, Rise Above Boutique offers much more than skin care. Warner brought in a curated selection of clothing to fill the larger retail space. She finds the clothing acts as a strong attraction. “It kind of draws people in initially when they look in and they see the clothing, and then they realize there’s more than clothing here,” she explained. “It’s kind of like a conversation piece.”
Buying merchandise for others has been a learning curve because sizing and seasonal shifts can be challenging, but she keeps inventory fresh by ordering a select amount of each item from various vendors. “I don’t reorder the same product, so only three or four people are going to have the same shirt,” she said.
Beyond foot traffic, Warner maintains an e-commerce website and ships her goods widely, reaching customers in Wisconsin, Texas and Canada to date. To further promote the business, she uses Facebook, Instagram and digital advertising within the mall. She also encourages retail shoppers to try her services by offering 50% off their first skin care appointment.
Her background working for many years at medical practices, Northeast Surgical Specialists and Adirondack Cardiology, helps build trust with her skin care clients. Under the Radiant Skincare Studio umbrella, Warner offers customizable hydrofacials, back treatments, waxing, eyelash and eyebrow services, and body-smoothing treatments. She also runs seasonal specials, such as pumpkin spice and cocoa cloud facials.
Entrepreneurship is not without its hurdles. “It’s definitely a lot harder than I thought it would be, says Warner, “It has moments of ‘did I make the right decision?’ However, every day I’m so beyond grateful for not only my clients but just the support in general from the community.”
Warner actively collaborates with other local small businesses, selling handmade greeting cards crafted by a friend and cross-promoting with companies such as the 518 Gym, which is also located in the mall, as well as shops in downtown Glens Falls such as Minky Mink and Downtown Dog Spa Boutique. “Two weeks ago, I stopped in to all of the local businesses down there. My friend Mindy from Floral Divine made me some bouquets and I dropped off some business cards.”
Warner is also looking forward to a collaborative local shopping day in November and credits regional organizations for helping her get off the ground. “The Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce has been amazing to me,” she said. “They’ve done both of my ribbon cuttings, which I’m very thankful for.”
Looking ahead, Warner hopes to continue expanding the service side of Rise Above Boutique by adding a booth-rental model. “Honestly, I would love to grow and add more estheticians,” she said. A nail technician is also on her radar, moving the business closer to a full-service, one-stop shop for self-care.
For more information on Rise Above Boutique, visit riseaboveboutique.com.