Natomas mom opens new shop in Citrus Heights

By Mike Hazlip—
A new shop is now open across from Sylvan Middle School, and owner Manoela Lopez says she hopes it will help encourage children to spend less time on screens.

Lopez opened Camila’s Fashion Boutique on Saturday, Dec. 31, and she is looking forward to growing the business. The store offers plush toys, backpacks, and accessories for children. Lopez hopes students from the nearby middle school will frequent her shop.

The Natomas mother of two said she wanted to open a business that would encourage children to spend more time playing rather than focused on cell phones.

“We want to keep the kids a little bit distracted from phones, iPads, stuff like that,” Lopez said. “They can come over here, take a look, and if they like something we have some toys so they can play around, forget about the cell phones.”

While Lopez says she doesn’t want the store to become an after-school daycare for Sylvan Middle School students, she hopes to provide a place they can come to and spend some time looking around. One factor in choosing the location was seeing students spending time at the Starbucks, she said.

Social media for the business shows Camila’s Fashion Boutique has been a vendor at various flea markets, swap meets, and festivals throughout the Central Valley before opening in Citrus Heights. The store was part of ShopSmart on Stockton Boulevard until the mall closed in early 2019.

A Sacramento Bee article called ShopSmart an “international bazaar” that opened in a former Sam’s Club building in South Sacramento. The Sentinel has previously reported several ShopSmart businesses have relocated to Sunrise Mall after the market’s 2021 closure.

Camila’s Fashion Boutique is located at 7088 Auburn Blvd., in suite 100. Regular updates are posted on the businesses Facebook page.