Life-long customer transforms village store after owner passes
ELLA BELLINI IS WAITING TO OFFICIALLY OPEN
WHEN Estelle’s Of Willerby shut its doors after 50 years last year following the death of the muchloved owner Sally Curtis, it looked like a hole that could never be filled.
However, just a few months later, dad-of-one Simon Parkinson, a lifelong customer of Sally’s, decided to take up the gauntlet and run the village store himself.
From there, new clothing store Ella Bellini was born and is due to open once the third national lockdown has come to an end.
Estelle’s closed last year after her family were left struggling to run business without her.
Simon, of Cottingham, wanted regular customers to continue to have a place in the village where they can buy premium women’s clothing.
He decided to buy the premises from Sally’s family and has spent lockdown transforming the space.
Simon keeps in regular contact with the former owner’s family, who are said to be “chuffed” to see a store up and running for customers in Willerby.
The new owner has also hired a former staff member of Estelle’s to join him in helping to serve customers.
Simon said: “I got the keys for the place only in December and have been working on it ever since.
“I have been getting on with the project throughout lockdown and everything is now ready to go once we are given the go-ahead from the Government to open.
“Customers who will miss Estelle’s will be able to come here and have a space to even come in for a chat and a cup of tea.”
The Ella Bellini owner named the store after his daughter Ella, and describes her as his “bellini”, meaning little beautiful one in Italian.
He added: “I love Alice In Wonderland and that’s where the inspiration for the store theme came from.
“We even have the shop just like book.”
Ella Bellini’s sells a range of women’s clothing from £20 to £400.
For more information, or to see the transformation, visit www. facebook.com/designerfashion Online a little door in in the film and