RESERVE — Raynia Johnson of Reserve took a standard passenger bus and reimagined it as a unique new shopping experience for the River Region.

New floors, ceiling and farmhouse furniture set the boho-chic tone for Johnson’s mobile Tease Accessory Boutique, opening this weekend in St. John the Baptist Parish.

All are invited to shop for fashionable shorts, cardigans, jeans, pocket dresses and handmade, customizable gifts from 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday (June 2) at 155 Ellen Drive in Reserve.

The bus, affectionately named Mary Belle, won’t stay parked there for long.

Johnson is bringing her store to customers across the greater New Orleans region, ushering in a new age of shopping accessibility.

“I didn’t want the overhead of a brick and mortar store, and I wanted to be able to branch out and reach a mass amount of people instead of just one audience,” Johnson said.

Johnson has dreamed of opening her own store since establishing Tease Accessory Boutique LLC in 2010. In the years since, she’s grown an online presence selling women’s clothing and accessories, including custom crochet scarves, coffee mugs and jewelry.

Johnson’s vision gained focus in 2017 when she left the petrochemical industry and found inspiration from a podcast called, “Can I Park Here?”

“The podcast is based on the fashion truck industry, which is not a big thing here in the South,” Johnson said. “In the West and up North, you’ll see a lot more. I wanted to kind of be a pioneer in the South and start this in hopes that the small business owners would want to venture out and start a little community of fashion trucks and buses.”

Johnson will pop up in various locations from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. seven days per week, allowing community members to track her location through Facebook, Instagram or Twitter using the hash tag #whereismarybelle.

Locations will be updated across all social media platforms, in addition to teaseaccessoryboutique.com.

Johnson’s fiancé, Lawrence Scieneaux, is standing by her side as her dreams come true.

He jokes he was the “muscle” in transforming the bus into a clothing store, while Johnson was definitely the brain.

“I love her vision. A lot of people don’t have that type of specific vision that reflects on her reality,” Scieneaux said. “She’s very creative. She can do anything, and I say that literally. She caters to exactly what the customer wants. I think her personality plays a big role because she’s a bubbly person, and I think it’s refreshing.”

Scieneaux said Johnson has the inspiration and know-how to run a successful business, as evidenced by international orders she fulfilled on Etsy before making her own website.

“I think she has a company that could pretty much cater to anyone,” Scieneaux said. “Even though her target niche is females from young girls to older women, there are things she provides for everyone with the power of her being able to customize her handmade products. Her customer service speaks for itself. She has some dedicated supporters.”

Johnson plans to take customized orders on the bus and set up delivery and shipping times. She has the mobility to travel to a host’s location to throw private shopping parties at discounted prices.

She looks forward to collaborating with the local business community to set up shopping days for women during lunch hours.

Tease Accessories Boutique offers stylish options to all with affordably priced boutique items, ranging in size from small to 3XL.

“If you see it today, it can be gone tomorrow,” Johnson said. “Each piece is special. You don’t have to worry about getting it here and seeing it somewhere else.”

Tease Accessory Boutique will be at an upcoming pop-up shop June 22 near Donut Hole in LaPlace.

For more information, visit teaseaccessoryboutique.com.