By Sasha Fastovskiy

Interviewing Danielle Traverse, owner and operator of the Spoil’d clothing boutique in Westboro, would be no different than interviewing the many other clothing connoisseurs I’ve had the pleasure of speaking with, I told myself as I approached the Westboro Shopping Plaza. As I walked out almost an hour later, I realized that not only had I uncovered a fabu garment gazebo, but I had walked out of the shop as if walking out of a friend’s house, where inside I had been complimented on my eye-shadow by one customer, had bonded with another over “Sex and the City” bus tours, and had flipped through Danielle’s desktop pictures of her children (two very cute boys a la Kingston Rossdale). Was this shopping? Was this socializing? Here, I invite the dear reader to do the math. Trendy clothes, television, and like-minded people? Ah, Confucius say, “So is the meaning of being Spoil’d.”

Traverse let me wander around her quaint, comfortable store before inviting me to sit opposite her at her big desk and explaining that this level of laid-back comfort was nothing surprising in the day to day life of Spoil’d. “People come here to hang out,” said Traverse, outfitted in a very popular OmniPeace shirt and skinny jeans. “I flick on a cartoon for the kids who come in so mom can shop, get some wine and water, and just chat. There’s no pressure or anything. We’re fun here.”

With a giant selection of brands both by celebs and the celeb-worthy, (William Rast, Alice + Olivia, Ed Hardy, limited edition as well as organic clothes), Spoil’d is a “destination-shop” for the entire family. Men are frequent shoppers, as are children, “We rock the entire family,” said Traverse. “And we study the trends here. Where else is there that you can come in and know you can dress in the same stuff as Dave Navarro or Courtney Love?”

March 1st marks the one-year anniversary of the boutique and oh, what a year it has been. “At first, we had a lot of different kinds of clothes, because I didn’t know what my customers wanted,” said Danielle, wife of Worcester Sharks hockey player Patrick Traverse. With up-to-the-minute styles from New York (where Traverse travels to meet with buyers) and help from the West Coast, Traverse knows what to fill her shop with: “I realized that if I’m wanting and looking for certain clothes, others are doing the same. [Now] I know my customers and what they like. And luckily, they like what I like, so it makes it a whole lot easier!”

While some higher-end items tend to have a slightly higher price-tag, Traverse says that that is not what Spoil’d is about. “My whole concept is, I don’t want someone to leave the store and think, ‘There is not one thing in there that I can afford.’ We have things for everyone.” What she really prides herself on, though, are the jeans. “I can really fit people in jeans. It’s quick, it’s pain free, and I haven’t failed yet,” she said. “And they know I’m usually right, so they’ll come back again. Everybody can wear anything, it’s all about confidence and attitude. All you gotta do is stand up straight, smile, and let me help you buy what you need to buy,” Traverse laughed.

Up next for Spoil’d is a fancy shoppable website and a top-secret second location. “My heart and soul are really in this store. It’s my baby, and I’m having a blast just being here and being with my customers. When people leave, I want them to feel like, ‘oh, I just made a new friend.’ “And come on, everybody likes to be spoiled,” says Traverse. “Spoil your kids, your friends, yourself. It makes you happy and you look good. That’s what it’s all about.”

SPOIL’D
30 Lyman St., Westborough, 508-329-1304 and dtravers@shopspoild.com

Photos: Jeans by William Rast, sweater and shorts by Alice + Olivia.