Store, cont. from front
kindergarten, they discussed moving forward into the professional chapter of Alicia’s life.
Matt was confident in his wife’s ability to purchase and market inventory, and to connect with people, but he wanted her to gain more experience in fiscal responsibility before launching the store front. “He balances me out. I like all the pretty things,” she smiled.
They agreed to establish a home-based business to gain that experience and build her client base before pursuing a brick and mortar.
Alicia launched Ella + Ava virtually in August 2019 and operated from their home. “That was a total God thing. When COVID hit everyone had to shut down. So we didn’t have to struggle with the overhead because it was all out of the house.”
Matt continued to encourage his wife to learn each step of owning and operating a business. Supportive business owners throughout Marshall County offered her the opportunity to host a “pop-up” to increase exposure. Those experiences helped her learn inventory management and fiscal responsibility.
She attended Leadership Marshall County Class of 26 in 2020 / 2021 which enhanced her personal and professional leadership and networking skills.
Once her client base was established, they began the search for a location in Plymouth and purchased the building at 105 W. Laporte Street. “It’s an opportunity for us to make an impact in our community. The ultimate goals of this business in this space is to reach as many people as possible and not just sell clothes, but to build connections and just love on people. We are able to do that and we are able to show our kids that,” said Alicia.
Women, including mothers, need to be around adults. “There’s definitely something about that human connection. After you have been home with your kids you crave that.”
As a stay-at-home mother, she learned things from a personal perspective that she now applies to her business. At the counter of her store is a basket with barrettes and chocolates to treat the little ones who come in to shop with mom. “There are lots of things that I learned along the way that I can apply to this business. Just little things that I’ve worked on through the years that I had no intention of applying to a business like this but now that I look back, this is really valuable now to have this skill set.”
The example that the Davis family has provided to their children has demonstrated that a father could be supportive of his wife’s dreams, and that a mother could delay her own goals to put her family first. “It’s okay to put on hold what the world says is important and it will still be there later on.”
Alicia has been approached about the possibility of taking on an intern from Triton School Corporation to mentor at Ella & Ava Boutique. “It excites me that they want to get kids in a learning environment in a business setting,” said Matt. “There’s a lot of opportunity that comes from this.”
Matt and Alicia are both “Dancing with the Stars” to raise money for the
Marshall County Neighborhood Center.
“I think it is a huge responsibility of small businesses to support our non-profits. That’s why people should be shopping local. The money raised here goes back in to our community.”
Matt gave glory to God and Alicia agreed. “My biggest thing is … the glory goes back to God. This is not about us. This is not about where we are currently at. This is all about His plan and His timing. We just have to be open to say ‘yes’ to whatever He is leading us to.” Alicia said that they love living their faith. Her goal is to let people see Jesus through her heart as she loves them in word and deed.
Dreams do come true… with effort, in time, and through patience. “Nobody is going to hand you anything.” Her success wasn’t one moment, but a movement. “It’s one small step after another.”
She is hosting pop-up guest vendors on Saturday and she will be offering specials throughout the weekend. “I was fortunate that I had generous people who offered space to me either free or inexpensively to come in and pop-up when I got started. That was huge for me because I couldn’t afford at that point to rent a space.”
Small home-based business owners who want to host a popup at the boutique should contact Alicia about their product to check with her on availability.
Alicia is planning some additional renovations to expand the building and restore the apartment upstairs in the first quarter of 2022. For years, Hudson has asked when he’s going to get something named after him. “It’s a women’s clothing boutique so I don’t think you want that.” his mother laughed. The apartment will be named the H. James Flat. The LLC of the building is also named after their son, H. James. She wants the community to know that during
that time the store front will be closed for a brief time to accommodate contractors, but they are not closing down. “It’s got so much historical character, we’d like to get back to that.” The ribbon cutting ceremony and celebration will be held after all brick and mortar renovations are complete.
As for Alicia, she is committed to continued personal growth as a woman, a mother, a wife, and entrepreneur, all while lifting others up. Whether it’s helping a woman find the perfect fit in the boutique, inspiring other mothers to practice self-care while supporting their families, or sharing her faith and love for God, she is committed to helping others through her own “store-y”. “There is enough room for all of us to succeed.”