Models needed!!

Its time to update our website's pictures and we're in need of some ladies to help us out!! We need people of all ages and sizes!! We had such a blast last time with Joy Key (here's our first Photo Shoot Video) and can't wait to do it again this time. Joy and I have been talking about possibly a river-themed or beach themed shoot this time, so anyone looking for a fun day near the water--here's your chance! I need 6-8 girls.

Send us an email telling us why you love Bella's, the website, or should be chosen to be in the pictures--anything goes!!! Why you're the prettiest, most wonderful, coolest, biggest Auburn fan (sorry couldn't resist!), best idea on where to shoot some pictures-- Best 6 reasons WINS! We'll have 3 people reading them, but no worries--I'll keep your name/age anonymous. You can also nominate a friend if you'd like... doesn't necessarily have to be about you!

Email your ideas/please/reasons to: BellasBoutiqueBainbridge@gmail.com

Good luck and can't wait to hear from everyone!

xoxoxo

Nicole

(here are some out takes of the last photo shoot)

The New Store!!!

Sorry I haven't updated this blog in a long time... we've been really busy around Bella's---the Holidays were amazing and then in January we started a complete renovation of the store!!! WOW what a difference it has made!! We tripled the floor space, added 4 dressing rooms and lots of more lines!! :)  I tried to dedicate the new space to bringing in different brands that can offer fabulous clothes to all ages and sizes!! I'm proud to announce we can outfit anyone from 00-16!! Still trendy yet affordable clothing for Bainbridge and our internet customers!! So, viola! Here are some pictures of the new shop! 

The building was originally a gas station. My mom bought it a few years ago and operated a travel agency out of it. When I started the business we had NO idea it would be such a hit... it was just this one room! I went with the same colors I have in my house to give it a bright pop! Here is the entrance and main room.... 

Wow--we were cramped!! But I had to make do with the room I had and get creative..... 

And here's the store now!! 

 I LOOOOOVE the runway lights in the dressing room area.. so glam!

To be able to triple the floor space & merchandise in a little under a year & half of being opened... I am truly truly blessed!! Thanks to everyone for your support!! 

Spread the word to your friends and family--Bella's is back in business! 

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook

And our website is fully functional and updated as soon as we put out new merchandise! 

Bella's Boutique Website

xoxoxo

Nicole

I Bet Its Like Christmas

Let me begin by saying that I love my job and truly have the best customers. Now, with that being said lets begin this blog...

As a business owner I have learned that a few things will for certain happen in your life as a business owner: (1) your business will become your "baby" and you will nurture it with all that you have with hopes that it evolves into a thriving business one day (2) a customer will not care about your "baby" your feelings or your nurturing skills and will chew you out about something or another that more than likely isn't your fault (3) after said customer is done venting you will ask yourself why you opened the damn store in the first place. But when it is all said and done, there's no better feeling than owning your own business... especially when that business is in fashion!

As a clothing store owner there are comments you hear all of the time. Of course there's the "does my butt look big in this?" (and for those of you that know me KNOW that I will be honest! For those of you that are online customers--I'm honest, whether it costs me a sell or not... I'll politely tell you its just not the right fit for you). But lately there are three comments that keep being said that I would like to address...

"You have a dream job! I bet its like playing dress up"
"I bet its like Christmas when you get new merchandise"
"I bet your closet is packed with great clothes"

And here are my answers: Yes, YES and ehh.. kind of

I'll begin with the dream job... YES I do have a dream job. I get to work with clothes! All day! Every day! I get to mix and match and ooh and ahh over pretty pretty clothes all day. I get to play with jewelry and shoes, SHOES (Who can have enough shoes? Rhetorical question because we all know the answer is NO ONE!) But it is still my job. It is all day and every day... I think about it constantly. I can spot a top purchased from Bella's three states away (ok, that's a bit of a stretch, but at least a good thirty yards).  Ninety percent of the time when I am having a conversation with someone I am thinking "I bet she'd really like that new Karlie top I just got in..." But these aren't the reasons why I love my job. The reasons why this is the best job ever is because I get to help ladies look and feel their best!! I get to witness the pleasure they get from finding that fabulous top for the hot date they have that night or the excitement when a customer realizes she's dropped down a size! Its having a customer whisper "I've gotten SOOOO many compliments on this top, thank you!" And last but not least, it's a customer walking in having a crummy day, but walking out with a smile on their face and a black & white stripe bag in their hand. This is why I have a dream job.

Now for "I bet its like Christmas when you get new merchandise"... again, YES! It is like Christmas when we get new merchandise. You would think Howard (our UPS guy--he's the best) is Saint Nick himself when he pulls up in his brown sleigh! Its like Christmas because when I first get the merchandise I am extremely excited (think beginning of December when you're all amped up for the Holidays, playing Holiday tunes on repeat) and then I become a little nervous because I start second guessing my purchases and wondering if people will like what is in the boxes (mid-December when you've decide to throw in an extra Yankee Candle to the present just in case the original isn't good enough and you're slightly annoyed at The Jingle Bell Rock). And then I get the joy of opening the boxes and oohing an ahhhing over the fabulousness that is in the box (Christmas Morning--Jingle Bell Rock?? I LOVE THAT SONG! Keep it on repeat!) It's kind of like that scene in A Christmas Story when the dad gets his leg lamp. I know you all know what I am talking about--where he's overly excited, yet isn't sure what's in the box (if you'd like to witness his "indescribably beautiful" scene here it is--Fra-Gee-Lay... I think that's Italian! ) But as I unwrap the fabulousness and pretty, pretty pieces of clothing in the boxes I'm thinking of certain customers and making a mental note to point it out to them the next time their in. The saying "Its not the gift that counts, but the thought..." yeah.....that doesn't apply here! It IS the gift that counts and I've just bought Christmas presents for an entire community! But its the gift that keeps on giving because it sure is a good feeling knowing you're Christmas list was a success when a customer walks out with a black & white stripe bag in their hand.

Now that I have you all singing Jingle Bell Rock in your head and thinking of how you should really start on your Christmas list early this year, I'll address the "I bet your wardrobe is full of great clothes." My answer is yes and no. Of course I've swiped a few pieces from the racks, I own a clothing store for goodness sake!! But I've never taken stuff straight out of the box and into my closet (ok, ok, ok.. I did it once but I promise it was in desperate need and was well worth it!) But I try to keep my steals to a minimum... I feel guilty when I take things that haven't been on the rack long. And if you look closely you'll see that I've taken the shirt with a tiny hole in it or the pants with the broken belt loop. Instead of seeing it in my closet, I'd rather see Bella's merchandise on my beautiful customers out in the community, or.. of course, in the little black & white stripe bags.

Behing The Scenes Photo Shoot

Hey Guys!! With the website up and running I thought you might like to see how the photo shoot for the pictures on the homepage went down. For all of you that aren't in the South, all of the hand waving isn't them waving--its the girls swatting gnats! And sorry for some of the jumpy video, I was in charge of the video at times and most of the time I'd get so excited at how cute the shot looked that I would start jumping up and down and anyway... I get a little carried away. Anyway, hope you enjoy! 

Bella's Photo Shoot!

Thanks again to Joy Key and the girls that participated: Alex Collins, Allison Holt, Ashley Waddell, Brooke Parker, Candace Howard, Elleree Guy and Morgan Rogers. 

Wearing White After Labor Day--A Yay Or Nay?

Every lady knows that wearing white after Labor Day is a huge no-no! This rule of fashion has been passed down (and greatly emphasized its importance) by generation to generation of women; from mothers to daughters, aunts to nieces, strangers yelling out to random people on the street... ok, maybe not the last part, but you get the point--it is a pretty important fashion law. Or is it really?

Ok, so how did this rule become embedded in our minds and wardrobe selections? According to Time there are many different origins of this fashion law--one explanation is that in past centuries people wore white during the Summer months because it helped keep them cool. Another is that during the 50s and 60s, when people had vacation homes, Labor Day signaled the end of Summer. This meant packing up the white linens, big hats and sandals to head back to the city and a wardrobe of dark and dreary, I mean professional clothes. Anyone who dared to wear white during the months of September to April were just plain out tacky and probably gossiped about.

But fret no more my lovelies, this old fashion rule seems to be just that... old. White has slowly made its way into our wardrobe year round! First there was "winter white" (which is really just an off-white, or cream color) which looks fabulous as a coat or comfy sweater. But these days it seems women have no problem wearing bright whites year round. 

If you're having trouble wrapping your mind around this and wouldn't even know where to begin on incorporating bright white into your Winter clothes here are a few suggestions we found: 

• Try pairing white jeans with boots and a dark colored sweater, instead of Summer sandals and a tank. 
• Use that white tee as the main focus and accessorize with darker items. 
• Keep it subtle; people won't be expecting it and it will stand out more. 
• Or if you're not that brave just yet try a white scarf and see if you get any dirty looks. 

Remember: Its not what you wear, but how you wear it!

But I want to know from you--are you going to break the "No white after Labor Day" rule or do you hear your mother's voice in your head nagging about how tacky it is and you just can't do it??

Coco Chanel had no problem wearing white year round, so why do we?

Thank You Carrie Bradshaw

BellasBoutiqueBainbridge.COM!!!!

That's right, we're going on the web!! As many of you know, I share a lot of our merchandise on Bella's Facebook Account and I have had a huge response of people wanting to purchase merchandise... so big in fact I finally broke down and decided to start a website. I'm sure people that are not from Bainbridge are a little hesitant to give their credit card information over the phone to a little boutique in South Georgia, so hopefully this will help ease their worries with a legit credit card system. What really sealed the deal is when we started getting orders in from Canada! <<Say whattttt???>> Dealing with customs was new to me, but hey--whatever works, I was beyond stoke to ship to our Northern neighbors.

For the past month I have been working with Posh Daisy a boutique web design company and it has been such a pleasure and quick process. If you can only imagine how time consuming it is to stage, photograph, edit and upload EVERYTHING in your store... and I mean EVERYTHING, you can understand why my store was such a disaster last week. But, you gotta start somewhere, right? I think we're close to the finished product and I cannot wait for everyone to see (and shop!)

But in the mean time keep checking out Facebook Page, follow us on Twitter and keep checking back on this blog. I haven't really decided what to do with this page yet, but I'll definitely use it to post new and exciting information, possibly photos of our customers out and about... something... any suggestions??