Impressive Outfit

Ella & Ava Boutique Brings Year-Round Styles and Unique Services to Plymouth

Writer / Amy Lant-Wenger
Photographer / Jubilee Edgell

It takes more than a fair share of ingenuity and inspiration to launch a business from home. Alicia Davis understands this quite well.

When she decided it was time to move her small enterprise into a storefront ensconced in Plymouth’s historic downtown business district, she took a genuine leap of faith, in more ways than one.

Nearly four years ago Davis was in an enviable place in her life, as a wife and mother of three. As she and her husband were discussing her possible return to the workforce once all the children were in school, she knew she would be able to make exceptional use of her Ball State education, where she earned a degree in fashion merchandising and marketing, as well as a minor in entrepreneurship. So in August of 2019, she crafted a business model that would facilitate her vision of working from home while simultaneously holding down a side job as a commercial painter, with the latter providing enough funds to help offset startup costs. Undaunted and undeterred by the complex business climate at the time, Davis forged ahead with establishing customer relationships rooted in trust, starting out with a modest inventory of fashionable clothing.

“What started as two racks of clothes slowly started to spill into three rooms of our house,” Davis recalls. “At that point we began to look at the prospect of a space outside our home, and taking the business from more of a hobby model to full time.” That opportunity arose in late 2021 when the Davises purchased a location on West Laporte Street in Plymouth, where they have remained. As for an official name for the new shop, it was definitely a family affair. Ella & Ava Boutique is named for the two Davis daughters, for a most unique reason.

“Both girls have wildly different personalities and styles, and I try to make my buying selection a representation of multiple styles while staying on trend,” Davis explains. “While our current focus is on women’s clothing, small to 3X, and accessories, we try and offer a nice mix of home and gift items as well.”

Less than two years after the official brick-and-mortar unveiling, Ella & Ava Boutique is constantly evolving and adding new features to draw in and delight customers. In 2022 the store added a service called House of Color, which is, as Davis describes it, “an individualized process of discovering what colors harmonize best with the undertones of our skin, so we know which colors look best to enhance our natural beauty.” Davis has also added an online storefront and is planning an upcoming trip to Dallas to learn more about the color analysis field. Davis anticipates hosting private shopping parties this year, and has already begun Friday Happy Hours weekly from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., with refreshments and sales specials.

While Davis is ecstatic to belong to a vibrant and dynamic downtown shopping thoroughfare, she is also very aware of where her greatest gratitude lies.

“My personal faith in Jesus Christ has really helped shape my mindset and vision of what success in this small-business space looks like,” she says. “I have learned to focus on the relationships I’m building first and foremost, because I believe that God has called me to love others and that looks a little bit different every day here. It’s most often in conversation, but sometimes it’s simply through a smile. It’s a joy to get to encourage women of our community, and be an example of positivity every single week.”

Ella & Ava Boutique is located at 105 West Laporte Street in Plymouth. Follow them on Facebook and Instagram, and visit ellaandavaboutique.com for more info.