MOSES LAKE — The boutique Stella & Me is the realization of a longtime dream.

Owner Mary Davenport’s mom Tami owns a boutique in Tri-Cities, where Davenport grew up.

“Small business has always been in our family,” Davenport said.

And they wanted to open a store in Moses Lake, where the Davenport family goes way back - her parents attended Moses Lake High School, she said, and her grandfather owned a business in town.

“We got asked by another business owner who was in this spot - Catherine, from Second Time Silver. She approached us and asked us if we were interested in renting out half the store because she knew my mom had always wanted to start one of her stores here,” Davenport said.

Stella & Me opened at 210 W. Third Ave. in October 2018. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. It’s named for Davenport’s daughter Stella.

Davenport said the goal is to provide options for women and girls when they’re trying to put together an outfit.

“I think everybody can find something here,” Davenport said. “Teenagers really enjoy our earrings, but I have an 83-year-old grandmother that wears my clothes. It’s a store for everybody.”

Stella & Me carries clothing for women and girls, offering a range of sizes, from small to 3X for women and one year to 12 for girls. Since no outfit is complete without accessories, Davenport carries earrings and necklaces, belts, scarves and purses too.

Davenport expanded her clothing line in 2021 to include suits and tuxedos for men, for rental or sale. It’s been successful enough that the boutique became an elite retailer for its supplier. Davenport said that along with outfitting guys for weddings and formal events, she provided shirts for the Moses Lake High School band performances.

Davenport said she tries to give women and girls clothing they can mix and match, such as a top that works with jeans or joggers, or with a skirt or trousers for work.

“One thing we like about our store is that you can dress it up and dress it down,” she said.

Clothing, of course, is subject to trends, but Davenport said she tries to sell clothes that will keep working for their owners, and mix with something new.

“If you bought something from us last year, you can put it in with a new pair of pants we just got in,” she said.

Davenport and her mom completed a remodel of their store in January 2020, just in time for the COVID-19 pandemic. The store was closed for about six weeks, but got an essential business designation.

“We became essential because we were giving away free masks, we were selling face masks,” she said. “Our Cornfusion popcorn saved us, because we had food in here. Under the rules and everything, we were deemed as an essential store because of the popcorn.”

She credited Cornfusion owner and Moses Lake Chamber of Commerce director Debbie Doran-Martinez and others with helping her navigate the regulations for reopening.

“Everybody helped us really figure it out,” she said.

The boutique’s customers helped it survive during the bumpy ride of the recurring waves of the pandemic, she said.

“Moses Lake is an amazing community, and it really seems like they banded together and really tried to help the small business owners,” she said.

While it’s a challenge owning a small business, it’s also rewarding, she said. She enjoys meeting new people, the hours the store operates and the flexibility of being her own boss. Being downtown in the heart of Moses Lake is another perk, she said.

“And honestly, my biggest thing is that even though it’s hard (owning a business), I can go home at the end of the night and my family is proud of me because I’m making this work,” she said.