Broughty Ferry boutique Mella Bella is celebrating five years in their “dream shop” this month.
Carmen Sinclair set-up the popular clothes shop after stints in Paris and training as a photographer, before planting roots in the Ferry with her first store.
After moving to new premises last year, her firm has just taken on a warehouse to help the distribution of its online offering, employing two new members of staff.
They’ve joined the three who work in-store with Carmen, providing what she describes as the “personal touch” helping customers boost their confidence when it comes to buying clothes.
Bella Mella five years on the high street
Carmen said: “We opened our new shop last year, and things are going really well. It is our dream shop.
“I opened the first Broughty Ferry store five-years ago, having had an online shop.
“We would do local drop-offs to customers in Dundee, so there was a need to have a permanent venue.
“A lot of shops have shut over the last while, but we offer a very personal experience.
“Particularly in women’s fashion, our customers have a need for the personal touch which we offer. Confidence is a huge part of what we do.Â
“It is more than just a shop, really. We have customers who come in nearly every day and share their life stories and worries with us, which we love.
“Our online store does do well, but a website cuts out the human part of shopping.
“A lot of people look online and don’t know how they are going to look or how a garment is going to fit on them. So they come in.
“It really is the main reason for our success.
“There are three staff working in-store, and I’ve just taken on a warehouse with another two employees.
“Our products cater for a wide range of people, of all ages. We have teenagers coming in, and my Gran is 90 who shops here too.”
Brexit shocks
It has not been entirely plane sailing for Bella Mella in the five years it has been opened.
The old shop was hit by a fire, and the impact of recent economic shocks including Brexit and the cost of living crisis have all had an impact.
“We work closely with wholesale designers, and I had worked in Paris previously,” Carmen said.
“The stock you used to be able to bring back was amazing, but after Brexit no-one can really afford it any more. The prices and stock levels used to be great, but now you are an extra 40% on what you would have paid pre-Brexit. Which is crazy.
“It has made the economy suffer, but there is still a market for something a bit different.”
And Carmen said she was happy having her “dream shop” on Broughty Ferry’s Brook Street, and had no plans on opening a second location.
“I love having our shop in Broughty Ferry. I personally would not want more than one.
“You can have a great brand, but if you don’t have the right staff or the right location, it probably won’t work.
“So we feel we have hit-the-nail-on-the-head as far as the shop is concerned.
“And now we want to build our presence on that going forward.”
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