ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Every kid wants to fill their closet with the freshest clothes for the first day of school, but sometimes filling that closet means emptying their parents' bank account, so for the past 25 years, Stellie Bellies has been making back-to-school shopping affordable for families across Tampa Bay.
Angela Parker has been shopping at Stellie Bellies for over a decade. She says it’s a back-to-school tradition for her family.
WATCH Stellie Bellies celebrates 25 years of affordable back-to-school shopping
“I am on a tight budget and being able to find name brands so that the kids can still dress cool nowadays is really important,” said Parker. “When you have all those other expenses going on, sports and extracurricular activities, they add up, so not having to spend that money on clothes and allocate it for other items is amazing.”
Owner Estella Myers knows exactly what these families are going through. It’s one of the reasons she opened the store back in 2000.
“And I found a demand for upscale resale, there weren’t many options, everything was gross and smelly, we really wanted to stand out as an upscale retail boutique,” said Estella.
A quarter century later, Estella now runs the St. Pete location with her husband and daughter, while she has also opened two other stores in Trinity and Seminole.
“Things have obviously gotten so expensive, and it’s hard to imagine people going out and buying everything for the retail price, so here it is just as great quality, just for less,” said daughter Morgan Myers.
The store wouldn’t be possible without community support. It’s the customers who are keeping the shelves and racks stocked.
"We do trade, we do 30 to 40 a day at this location, so all day long, it’s like a trading machine,” said Estella.
Back to school is one of their busiest times of year.
“The whole month of August, almost everything in our store is tax-free, but most of the time we have lots of tax-free items either way, so this is the way to do it,” said Estella.
She said one of her favorite parts about running the business is seeing the same families come in year after year.
“The relationships now, that were babies and kids, and now they are having their own babies,” said Estella.
This summer, Stellie Bellies isn’t just celebrating its anniversary; they are celebrating life in general.
“I found out 12 months ago that I had Breast Cancer, and my community has been spectacular to support me; I have strangers coming up to see how I’m doing, so I’m very thankful that this business let me feel like this journey is supposed to happen the way it has,” said Estella.
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