On the road to wisdom

For women who want lifestyle advice but don’t want to ask Dear Abby

or plan lunch with a friend, a new online option has emerged.

Newport Beach resident Nikki Gutshall and colleague Kailynn

Bowling offer their online thoughts on everything from how to plan a

good bridal shower to the best ways to decorate a new home. Their

website, www.ChicBlvd.com, launched in March.

The intended audience: The oft-targeted 18- to-35-year-old female

demographic.

Calling it “the girlfriend’s guide for the road of life,” the pair

wants the site to become the go-to place for young women seeking

inspiration.

“We found that we have friends who are basically the same age but

who are at different stages of life,” Gutshall said. “Some are

married and have babies, some are full into their careers, others are

in the midst of dating. We want this to be a resource for everyone.”

It helps that the Web managers are at different stages themselves.

Gutshall, 30, is single and dating. Bowling, 26, is married and has a

1-year-old child.

Both women said their daily experiences fuel much of the online

content, which is updated regularly and dispatched through weekly

newsletters to about 1,000 readers.

“A lot of my material came from when I was pregnant,” Bowling

said. “It drove me nuts.... I couldn’t find many books written from a

woman’s perspective on how to deal with pregnancy.”

She kept track of her ideas and created much of the content for

the “baby” section of the website, dedicated to new mothers in need

of tips. Wedding, dating and living are the other three categories

posted on the site.

All of the content is original, Gutshall said. Much of it revolves

around the idea that women want to be stylish and stay informed on

the latest trends but often don’t have the time to scour magazines

for the information.

The pair operates most often from Gutshall’s Newport Beach home.

She does most of the writing, and Bowling primarily handles the

business side. The women bring in revenue from advertisers, who

sponsor a weekly newsletter that features their products.

For now, ChicBlvd.com remains a hobby for both women, though they

put in full-time hours. Gutshall continues to work in the advertising

industry and Bowling owns a small boutique in Riverside.

The two met through a mutual friend, Lara Stoll, who is scheduled

to be married next month and offers her own ideas in a column on the

website.

And it’s not all women, all the time.

Andre Niesing, a Newport Beach-based photographer, writes an

advice column from a male perspective.

Gutshall and Bowling said they are looking to expand the website’s

content to include e-cards and a series of short movies that will

provide relationship advice through humor.

Both said giving advice is a natural.

“It doesn’t feel like work,” Gutshall said.

* ELIA POWERS is the enterprise and general assignment reporter.

He may be reached at (714) 966-4623 or by e-mail at

[email protected].