SHELBY — What started as a small shop in a garage has grown into a full storefront on Shelby’s Main Street for local boutique owner Shelley Alsept.

Alsept officially opened Bee Beautiful Boutique at 26 W. Main St. on Friday morning, marking the fourth location for her growing business.

“People love shopping with me because I am affordable,” Alsept said. “One of the greatest compliments I get is my price point.”

Bee Beautiful Boutique will operate Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 3 p.m.

From garage startup to Main Street storefront

Alsept launched her business in 2020 after retiring from a 32-year career at Stanley Black and Decker, where she worked as a logistics coordinator. She said becoming an empty nester pushed her to revisit a dream she placed on hold for years.

“We have one daughter and when she graduated and left, I thought, ‘What am I going to do?’” Alsept said.

After high school, Alsept moved to Pittsburgh and earned a fashion marketing degree from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. She later returned home to focus on family before eventually turning her attention back to fashion.

“I actually have a fashion marketing degree that I put on hold to raise my family,” Alsept said. “When I became an empty nester, I started dabbling in it.

“I never dreamed I would be here.”

Alsept tested the waters at Plymouth’s Christmas in the Village before opening a boutique in her garage. A pop-up opportunity inside the Little Shops of Shelby helped expand her customer base and convinced her to stay.

“I had no plans of staying, but I had such a good rapport with people and they reacted to me being there, so I decided to stay,” she said.

Today, Alsept has locations on Route 20 in Monroeville under the name Simply Monroe, inside the Beauty Lounge in Willard under the name Bee Beautiful Boutique, inside the Little Shops of Shelby and now her permanent Shelby storefront.

Community leaders celebrate downtown growth

Jessica Gribben, president and CEO of the Richland Area Chamber & Economic Development, called the opening another success story connected to the Little Shops of Shelby.

“We are just so delighted to see this come to fruition,” Gribben said. “Another incubated store from the Little Shops of Shelby. We’re very excited to have another vibrant business on Shelby Main Street.”

A brainstorming session with a friend inspired the boutique’s name after several earlier ideas had already been taken.

“We decided to use the bee as the theme and make it Bee Beautiful Boutique,” Alsept said.

The boutique carries women’s clothing in sizes XS through 4XL along with accessories, candles and other items. She said helping customers feel confident remains her favorite part of the business.

“I just love people, helping people,” Alsept said. “Being able to help people feel good about themselves.”

(Photos from the Bee Beautiful Boutique ribbon cutting. Credit: Hannah Martin)