ONTARIO — “Hey, girl!” says Brittany Humble to a customer entering her boutique, B.E. Humble.
Based on the bubbly businesswoman’s enthusiasm and casual demeanor, you’d have thought the two were best friends since kindergarten.
While many of her customers turn into (or already are) her friends, that’s how the Minnesota native treats everyone who visits her store.
“I feel like I’m best friends with everyone,” Humble said with a laugh.
B.E. Humble opened Nov. 11, 2011 in Ontario’s shopping plaza on Stumbo Road, which also houses Humble’s husband’s business “Exithis.” Two years later, another B.E. Humble location was added in the Ashland area.
The store sells trendy clothes and accessories that are hand-selected by Humble.
“I don’t just sell clothes, I get to know my customers and I just love knowing about their life,” Humble said. “A lot of the time what I do is grab clothes that I think will look good on them as we’re having a conversation and it’s like shopping with a best friend.”
One of her favorite parts of the job is being able to style customers — a service that she offers free of charge.
It all started while she was attending Pensacola Christian College in Florida.
“My major ended up being dressing my roommates,” she said jokingly. “My whole hallway would come to my room and I’d just help them pick out outfits. It was so fun and I had to work with the dress code so I had to be innovative.”
Humble continues to do just that at her store.
I had the opportunity to witness her in action one afternoon as she styled customers in front of a floor length mirror with “B.E. you. tiful” written above.
One after the other, Humble layered garments and accessories on women, who, more often than not, responded positively to what they saw in the mirror. Occasionally women gave a questionable look at Humble, who’d then provide other options and assure them by saying, “If you don’t love it, don’t buy it.”
Making a sale, though important in operating a successful business, isn’t Humble’s main objective.
“I feel like my whole goal is to just make women feel beautiful,” she said.
Some Christians are called to serve overseas as missionaries, but Humble’s mission field is right in her store.
“I was never called to be a missionary, per se, but my goal is to be able to tell people about God and this is a way to do that,” she said. “I feel like God wants us to look our best and He wants to show Himself through us, and as women I feel like we get confused with a lot of that.”
Humbles hope to help women recognize the beauty that they possess.
“It’s okay to feel beautiful,” she said. “God made us beautiful, so we should feel beautiful.”
The topic of recognizing/appreciating the beauty each person has is something she addresses at conferences that she speaks at. Depending on the conference theme, she’ll also discuss how to dress trendy, yet modestly.
“It’s amazing how so many people are so down on themselves,” she said. “But when I see them I’m like, ‘You’re gorgeous.'”
Even if customers walk out of her store without making a purchase, if Humble is able to help them feel confident and beautiful, she’s satisfied.
“That’s awesome to me,” she said.
