Bella’s Boutique has recently opened its doors at 1 Mary Street in Newry. The stylish outlet for children from newborn up to age 11 is the brainchild of lifelong friends Michelle Smith and Amy Rafferty from Newry. Just this week they have launched their new ecommerce website.

The ethos behind the shop is to celebrate every child being unique. Amy and Michelle want to help instil confidence at an early age, something they both feel passionate about. By promoting clothes that are different they believe children will develop their own sense of style and confidence in the own body shape and tastes.

The girls want to create a fun shopping experience where children as well as adults feel comfortable looking through the clothes and enjoying the space.

Michelle said, “Amy and I have been friends since childhood, neither of us were particularly confident and it does hold you back. We believe that children who are comfortable being themselves and developing their own sense of style, whatever that may be should be celebrated. There is not only one type of beautiful.

“Many of the issues that people have in later life can stem back to childhood experiences. This is why we in Bella’s Boutique are very proud to have linked up with PIPS Newry and Mourne as our charity partner. We will be selling a range of candles with scents which can have a positive impact on your mood and donating £1 from each sale to PIPS. We also hope to work with other partners to support confidence building and celebration of children and young people.”

Amy added, “I have worked in retail in Newry for more than 15 years. Last year I opened Bella’s Boutique, named after my daughter as a pop-up shop for Christmas. It was always my ambition to turn it into a full-time venture. Michelle returning from her travels and agreeing to work together gave me the confidence I needed to pursue my dream. We have had great support from the community so far and we would invite people to come in and have a look around. We have just opened a Christmas Club and we now have vouchers available. We are delighted to have just launched our website www.bellasboutiqueni.com where all our gorgeous stock is available to purchase online.

You can also follow Bella’s Boutique on Facebook BellasBoutiqueNewry.ni or Instagram @Bellasboutiqueni.