Across the road from the Smiling Cow and Gimbel's Country Store in Boothbay Harbor, a tiny shop called Gretchen's Closet is stocked with hats, handbags, jewelry, flip flops and accessories. It's very appropriately named, as one of everything the store sells also resides in the closet of the manager, Gretchen Gimbel.

The tiny store is open seven days a week, and on Mondays and Thursdays, Gimbel runs it. As manager, she is responsible for all the ordering, merchandising and designing of the store. Her parents Mark and Dianne Gimbel own the store.

“She has an amazing eye for merchandising,” Dianne Gimbel said. “She does a fantastic job and we love having her a part of the family business.”

Gretchen Gimbel picks out what the store sells by buying products she likes and would want to own. Even when vacationing, she is keeping an eye out for new merchandise for the store.

“I was in the Bahamas last year, and fell in love with these starfish sandals,” Gimbel said. “So I bought a pair and this year I was able to track down the vendor and now we sell them. And I sell a lot of them; I have trouble keeping them in stock.”

“My parents give me a lot of creative liberty,” Gimbel said. “They really want my input; sometimes I'll be at work, and Mom will email me a product and ask if I think it will sell.”

Gimbel calls herself a “walking advertisement” for the store, and says people are always stopping her to ask where she bought something. She sends them to the Closet.

Gimbel also works for Lincoln Medical Partners. In the fall, she will be attending the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences to become a physician's assistant.

“That will be my main focus,” Gimbel said. “But I don't think I'll ever be out of retail, I enjoy the work too much. It runs in the family. I think I'll always be doing both.”

Katrina Clark can be reached at 207-633-4620 or katrinaclark@boothbayregister.com. Follow her on Twitter: @BBRegisterClark or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BBRegisterKatrinaClark.