A small, considered boutique for the pieces you don't talk yourself out of. New racks every week, a stylist who knows your closet, and a fitting room that feels like the rest of your day stopped.
We don't carry everything — and that's the point. Every rack at Gotta Have It is edited by hand: the camel coat that flatters three different bodies, the silk blouse that travels, the leather handbag that earns its price. You walk in looking for one thing. You leave with the one thing you couldn't put down. That's the whole idea.
Whether you wander in on a Saturday or book the fitting room for an hour, the boutique bends toward the way you actually shop — not the way a department store assumes you do.
New pieces arrive weekly, hung and steamed before the doors open. Limited quantities — when a rack sells through, it sells through. If something catches your eye on Instagram Friday morning, it may be gone by Saturday afternoon.
See this week's dropSilk blouses, tailored trousers, knitwear with weight to it, leather goods that age well. We carry the kind of clothing that hangs in your closet for a decade and still earns a Saturday-night outfit. Handbags, scarves, belts and jewelry finish the look.
Browse the racksBook the fitting room. Bring a problem — a wedding, a new job, a closet that needs editing — and leave with a working wardrobe. Honest opinions, real fitting, and a stylist who will tell you the second sweater isn't doing you any favors.
Book the fitting room
The boutique is small on purpose. You'll be greeted by name after your second visit, offered a coffee or a sparkling water, and pointed toward whichever rack suits the errand you walked in with — even if the errand is "I have no errand, I just want to look around."
Fitting rooms are private, well-lit, and stocked with a few quiet pieces of advice: take your time, try the second size, and step out — the mirror against the wall is more honest than the one in the room.
Gotta Have It started the way the best boutiques do — a woman with a good eye, a rack in a spare room, and friends who kept asking to come over and try things on. Eventually the spare room wasn't big enough and the friends weren't a wide enough audience, so the racks moved to a storefront and the door opened. The point of the place hasn't changed: dress the people of Dubuque in pieces that make them feel like themselves, only more so.
We carry what we love and skip what we don't. We won't pretend a trend is a classic and we won't upsell you into something that isn't right. We'd rather you walk out empty-handed and come back next Friday.
Tell us what you're looking for — a piece, an occasion, a whole refresh — and we'll pull a rack before you arrive. Walk-ins welcome; appointments make the visit easier.
If you've never been to a boutique like this before, here's what to expect — and what to skip worrying about.
In the historic district of Dubuque, Iowa — look for the warm light.
Tuesday – Saturday
Sunday & Monday by appointment
(563) 588-3956
Or send a note via the form above.