It all started in her home, as most small businesses do. Shelly, a former flight attendant from Buffalo, NY, found her passion in crafting and creating gift and personalized items with monogram and embroidery. Ideas and trial and errors spread out across the kitchen and dining room tables, pouring into her family’s every day life bit by bit. Clothes, towels, and gift items waiting to be monogrammed and personalized took place of Shelly’s normal home decor. The occasional drop by’s from neighbors and friends turned into a steady stream of cars, all stopping in her home to do retail therapy and pick up their customized orders. So, it was no surprise when Shelly’s husband threw out the idea of opening a storefront, she immediately jumped and ran with the idea, and hasn’t looked back since.
Shelly started her brick and mortar adventure on Shell Point Road in Ruskin. There she built a foundation in the Southshore area, growing her customer base, adding new items to her boutique, and establishing herself in the community. After four years, she has relocated her business just off Highway 41 to a bigger space, and she has opened a long-awaited second location that just opened up in Lithia, FL.
Through the journey of owning her own small business, Shelly has seen the good, the bad, and the ugly of business owning. This journey is not for the weak, and Shelly is certainly the furthest thing from it. Yes, there is a lot of stress and hard work that goes into making a small business successful, but she highlights some of her favorite parts of owning South Shore Boutique- buying products and picking new styles for her customers, and the connections and friendships it has given her (we like to think she was referring to the Shoreline team here). She also mentions why shopping and supporting local is important to her- it’s the only way to make your community grow, and we couldn’t agree more.
Be sure to add South Shore Boutique to your Small Business Saturday stops!
South Shore Boutique Facebook Page
6126 N U.S. Hwy 41, Apollo Beach, FL 33572
5492 Lithia Pinecrest Rd., Lithia, Florida 33547
It's A Shore Thing 