A boutique (French: [butik]) is a retail shop that deals in high end fashionable clothing or accessories.^[1] The word is French for "shop", which derives ultimately from the Ancient Greek ἀποθήκη (apothēkē) "storehouse".^[2][3]

The term boutique and also designer refer (with some differences) to both goods and services,^[4] which are containing some element that is claimed to justify an extremely high price.

The term boutique entered common English parlance in the late 1960s.^{[citation needed]}

Some multi-outlet businesses (Chain stores) can be referred to as boutiques if they target small, upscale niche markets.^[5] Although some boutiques specialize in hand-made items and other unique products, others simply produce T-shirts, stickers, and other fashion accessories in artificially small runs and sell them at high prices.

In the late 1990s, some European retail traders developed the idea of tailoring a shop towards a lifestyle theme, in what they called "concept stores,"^[6] which specialized in cross-selling without using separate departments. One of the first concept stores was^{[citation needed]} 10 Corso Como in Milan, Italy, founded in 1990, followed by Colette^[7] in Paris and Quartier 206 in Berlin.^[8] Several well-known American chains such as Tiffany & Co., Urban Outfitters,^[9][10] Dash, and The Gap,^[11]

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