The interior of Grey Horse Boutique in the Tannery Building, which will have its grand opening celebration tomorrow afternoon. (Photo by Nick Sestanovich)

Even cowgirls get the boutiques…at least in Benicia.

Grey Horse Boutique is the newest store in the Tannery Building. The gift shop has what owner Laura Robbins calls “a boho chic with a little cowgirl attitude.”

The shop carries a wide array of gift items, including candles, jewelry, trinkets, perfumes, pillows, handbags, blazers and blouses. The “grey horse” in the name refers to Robbins’ very own silver steed, a 21-year-old named Sombra.

“In putting the store together, I thought about all the girls I used to ride with or go horse camping with,” she said. “A lot of the gifts are centered around those activities.”

Prior to opening Grey Horse Boutique, Robbins spent more than 30 years in the corporate world as a head of human resources. In between corporate jobs, she opened a wine and gift shop in Orange County.

“I decided to throw caution to the wind and do something I have a passion for,” she said.

Robbins returned to human resources after selling the shop but eventually felt she wanted to return to her passion.

“One day, I woke up and said, ‘I’m not going to do the commute anymore,’” she said. “‘I’m going to do something I feel passionate about.’”

That passion was selling gifts, and this time Robbins opted for the Tannery Building, particularly after doing a painting class with Gennyfer Santel, the owner of Glen Cove Farm.

“I kept looking at the space and thinking this would be a great place to see if I can try and make a go of this,” Robbins said.

After Santel relocated Glen Cove Farm to the Treasury Commons, Robbins moved in.

“The rent was right,” Robbins said. “I love the fact that it’s part of historic Benicia.”

Robbins is also excited about the new Bella Siena restaurant opening up just around the corner in the Tannery, which she hopes will attract diners to her business.

Despite some challenges in getting the word out about Grey Horse Boutique, Robbins is excited about the prospects and is grateful for the help she has gotten from fellow Tannery tenants and management.

“Everybody’s been great to work with here,” she said. “There’s been a lot of great ideas and a lot of support.”

Grey Horse Boutique is located just across from The Little Art Shop in the Tannery Building, located at 129 First St. A grand opening celebration will be held from 2 to 6 p.m. Saturday, June 2 with drawings, 10 percent discounts on all purchases made that day and free gifts with purchase for the first 20 customers. For more information, visit http://greyhorseboutique.com.

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