HANOVER — Revolution, the boutique and consignment store on the corner of North Main Street in White River Junction, is slated to open a second location in Hanover, owner Kim Souza announced this week.

The store is planned for the 1,000-square-foot space at 43 South Main Street, directly behind Molly’s Restaurant and Bar.

“(Revolution’s) doing some things that nobody else in Hanover is doing,” said Marc Milowsky, who owns the South Main Street property. “I think the community and the college will really embrace her store when it opens.”

Milowsky approached Souza in April about opening a second location in the downtown storefront, which had been vacant since the women’s boutique the Ivy Edit relocated to a larger space at 35 South Main Street.

Milowsky had been approached by several food vendors but he “felt that the town needed more retail, and it helped that we wanted to do something to compliment the restaurant,” he said.

Souza was hesitant when Milowsky first proposed the idea.

“I didn’t know we could negotiate a lease that I would be comfortable with,” she said.

Eventually, she agreed to an 18-month lease starting on June 14, with an option for a three-year renewal, which would provide “an opportunity to figure out if it can work or not,” Souza said.

Milowsky and Souza declined to disclose the cost of rent.

Souza, who will staff the store with four part-time employees, is hoping for a soft opening on Aug. 8, her late father’s birthday.

Like the White River Junction location, the Hanover Revolution will stock an assortment of consignment, independent and sustainable makers, like Digital Toni, a screen printer who gives secondhand pieces a new life.

Souza hopes that “the two shops can amplify each other,” and plans to sell green sweatshirts with a sign nearby reading: “There’s 10 more colors eight miles away in White River Junction.”

The store will also inject some variety into Hanover’s retail market, which has been without a secondhand or vintage store since The Pink Alligator, located in the Nugget Arcade, closed and consolidated with its West Lebanon location in 2019, citing a desire for lower rent and more retail space, the Valley News reported at the time.

Folk, an independent boutique offering Native American and Mexican wares, shuttered in 2018, nearly 45 years after it opened. The rising popularity of online shopping was a contributing factor to the store’s closure, owner Ted Degener told the Valley News in 2018.

In 2018, young people weren’t “as interested in shopping secondhand or upcycled, but I think the culture of that retail is more widely accepted,” Souza said.

Revolution’s commitment to sourcing sustainable styles is part of what appealed to Marisa Chapin, the store’s shift manager.

“It feels really gross to buy things that are meant to be thrown away,” said Chapin, who’s worked at the Revolution since 2021.

Today, Hanover’s retail scene includes boutiques like Indigo and the Ivy Edit, whose prices often sit in the triple digits, and upscale chains like J.Crew and Talbots.

At Revolution, items like T-shirts and dresses go for about $30 to $60.

“(Revolution is) exactly what Hanover needs because there are some really expensive clothing stores there and not everyone can afford that,” said Jackie Stanton, whose White River Junction dancewear store Junction Dance Boutique neighbors Revolution.

Stanton remembers when White River Junction was a “quiet railroad town” when Souza opened Revolution in 2002.

Since then, the village has developed into a bustling downtown with theaters, international cuisine, bars and secondhand stores such as The Collection and Uplifting Thrifting.

Revolution, with its annual summer parties and alternative fashion shows, has played a role in the town’s evolution into a creative hub.

“(Souza) is the embodiment of White River Junction,” Stanton said.

But keeping Revolution open has not been without its challenges. In 2006, Souza was preparing to close the store due to financial challenges when Ann Johnston, whose husband Pritam Singh is the founder of a hotel real estate development firm in Florida, agreed to invest in Revolution, at the behest of her daughter, Simi.

After significant renovations, “Revolution 2.0” reopened in February 2007.

This January, Souza bought back the remaining shares from Johnston, making her the store’s sole owner.

“My appreciation and gratitude for the lifeline that Ann and Simi gave to me and Revolution is massive and eternal,” said Souza when she announced the sale of the shares.

Now, the launch of the Hanover location marks another new beginning.

“I think it’s fabulous,” said Kim Smith, the Ivy Edit’s co-owner. “Her clothing store is totally different to anything here.”

Marion Umpleby can be reached at mumpleby@ vnews.com or 603-727-3306.

CLARIFICATION: Revolution’s owner plans to place a sign reading: “T  here’s 10 more colors eight miles away in White River Junction” next to green hoodies slated to be sold at the store’s new Hanover location. A previous version of this story was unclear about the placement of the text.