SHELBY — Whittney Allen outgrew her booth at The Little Shops of Shelby.
Owner of Lottie & Lemon Boutique, Allen began selling children’s clothing three years ago across the street from her new downtown storefront. Her daughter first opened a booth at The Little Shops, inspiring Allen to follow suit.
“I was thinking there wasn’t really a lot of kid’s clothing stores (in the area),” she said.
“You have to go to Walmart, Target and a lot of the (children’s clothing stores) closed down in the mall, so I thought it would be cute to offer unique, boutique clothes in this area.”
Lottie & Lemon — named after Allen’s two dogs — offers mostly girls clothing from infant to sizes 8 to 10. The boutique also features accessories, toys and children’s books.
A chance to expand is what led Allen to leave behind her booth and move into the new space at 35 E. Main St., she said.
More space means the boutique may begin expanding the range of clothing sizes offered, as well as adding additional infant items.
Officials from Shelby and Richland County joined Allen and her family to celebrate the boutique’s grand reopening Wednesday morning. The first 24 guests in attendance received swag bags and could enter to win a special gift basket.
The boutique is open Wednesday through Friday from noon to 6 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m.
Lottie & Lemon houses additional vendors
Two additional vendors are sharing space inside Lottie & Lemon’s new storefront.
Allen said one sells soap — primarily goat’s milk soap — and body products. The other is a candy vendor specializing in nostalgic candies and also has a $5 candy buffet, she said.
Whispering Willow Way, owned by Tonya Bishop, also operates its crafting classroom in the rear of the East Main Street building. Working alongside other small business owners and entrepreneurs has been helpful, Allen said.
“You don’t feel like you’re doing it alone,” she said. “We help each other out and give each other advice.”
Local officials laud Allen’s growth and passion
Shelby Mayor Steve Schag thanked Allen for expanding her efforts to the new location.
“It looks so cool in here,” he told the boutique owner. “I do want to thank you Whittney (Allen) for taking that next step and investing here on this side of Main Street.”
Jennifer Wagner, director of member services for the Richland Area Chamber & Economic Development, said Allen’s growth and passion have been exciting to witness.
Richland County Commissioner Cliff Mears and Jessica Gribben, Shelby’s economic development manager, echoed similar sentiments.
“If you have little ones, you certainly want to stop in here (Lottie & Lemon),” Gribben said. “I don’t have any little girls and I still want to buy this stuff.
“We appreciate your investment and we appreciate you staying in Shelby,” she told Allen.
(Below are more photos from Wednesday’s grand reopening of Lottie & Lemon Boutique in downtown Shelby.)
