Be yourself; Everyone else is already taken.

— Oscar Wilde.

Yes the name ElliAnn comes from my two daughters – Anniston (a.k.a “Annie” the oldest and tall one) and Elizabeth (the youngest, a.k.a. “Ellie”). But ElliAnn in itself is a concept. ElliAnn represents a female – ageless and without a specific background – who is a dreamer, a philosopher, an ever-evolving character in her own life story. She is a traveler, an explorer both physically and creatively. She reinvents herself to her current whim. One day she is edgy and bold, another she is free-spirited and fun. One day she chooses to be sophisticated and elegant, but the next she is adventurous and athletic. Essentially she is whomever she wants to be as her heart desires.

My girls currently live in a small town in the Midwest and struggle daily to figure out who they are and who they want to be as they traverse this thing called life. They deal with the everyday drama that comes with being adolescent girls, and constantly fighting the urge to stretch themselves outside of the local norm. They long for that moment when girls rally together and lift each other up rather than tear each other down. My dream for them was to have a way to be who they wanted to be without concern for the judgements of those around them. And ultimately I wanted that for their friends and classmates, too.

Truth be told – I saw elements of this same struggle in my own life. I am a fairly well-traveled, college educated, middle-aged multi-business entrepreneur and mom. I am a lover of God, nature, art & drama. I am hopelessly addicted to all genres of music as well as Ohio State Football and coffee. I’m a reader and a wanna-be gym rat (though my schedule barely allows time for my workouts). I can see myself retiring in New York City or Chicago someday, yet I can also see me waking up to the sight of a serene lake and the Smokey Mountains in my backyard. On any given weekend I’d be thrilled to rock out at a concert, or blaze the trails on horseback, maybe learn to surf on the Pacific Coast, or visit and art museum before catching a broadway show.

But being so eclectic comes with a downside… other women don’t always seem to understand me (or at least I don’t feel like they do). I know my daughters have felt the same way because they’ve told me this time and again since about 2nd Grade. So I wanted to find a way to bring women (and young girls) together and give them the freedom to explore their deep-down cores and help them learn to express themselves daily. So I created the concept of ElliAnn’s Boutique. A small but mighty clothing store that would give people the option to explore various styles without having to spend a fortune. One day I hope to welcome ladies of all ages in the doors of my downtown Boutique and give them a shopping experience that is fun, insightful, and helps them discover themselves – and each other – on a deeper level.

So stay tuned for news as I begin to develop and grow this dream. And if you’re a fellow believer – would you pray for this to develop as God would see fit? Thank you for stopping by. I hope to meet you one day soon at ElliAnn’s Boutique!