Young entrepreneur opens princess shop here

Published 1:31 pm Monday, July 2, 2007

By By ERIKA PICKLES / Niles Daily Star
NILES – Every little girl dreams of being a princess. The thought of dressing up in high heels, a tiara, jewelry and the most fascinating dress you can imagine is something that makes any girl feel like a glamorous beauty.
Laura Johnson's love of these frilly items turned into more than just a dream, when with the help of her parents she opened her own store – The Lolly Shop.
Here's the catch, Laura is just four years old.
"Laura always comes to work with me and was always wanting to write sales, re-arrange the displays and just help out in anyway she could. I thought that maybe if she had her own things to sell, she would really enjoy it," said Meg Truesdell, Laura's mother and owner of Red Shoe Jewelry and Apparel. "So, one day I asked if she would like her own store and she said yes and here we are."
Inside the 36 square footage of space lies every girlie-girl item one can imagine. Lip gloss, boas, tiaras, fairy wings, princess dresses jewelry and many other fancy items fill this amazing fairy tale land, which is located in the display window of Red Shoe Jewelry. Shoppers reach Laura's store by climbing three bejeweled steps where a magical place was created just for them.
The name of the boutique comes from Laura's nickname "Lolly." It may sound sweet, but this is not a candy store.
"It started when she was just itty bitty. She had a friend who couldn't say Laura, so she would say La La. The name just kind of stuck and I've always called her my little Lolly Pop, so we came up with Lolly Shop," Truesdell said of the store name.
With the help of local sales reps to find unique girlie-girl items, Truesdell collected several catalogues, which Laura looked through to choose her inventory for the shop.
"That was a lot of fun, but she wanted to order way more lip gloss than anyone could possibly want to see in one place, so I helped her out and in the end she picked out what you see in the store."
The Lolly Shop's Grand Opening was held on June 2 and featured kid-friendly refreshments for everyone who attended. Since the opening, Truesdell said the shop has done wonderful.
"She has a good base of customers already and a lot of regulars. We have grandmothers who really enjoy bringing their granddaughters in. It's just a fun place for any girl and it's something Niles did not have before," Truesdell said.
The Lolly Shop is open Monday-Thursday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Truesdell said the shop offers private receptions on Saturday's after closing, where a limit of eight girls can shop privately. This is by reservation only.
There are also some very special events planned, including a Wands and Wings weekend, which will take place in August.
"We've partnered with the Paris Shop and will be giving away free manicures and pedicures with the purchase of a wand or wings. The Paris Shop will then offer Ferry Sunday's for just $1," Truesdell said.
In September, the store will hold a Glass Slipper Day Tripper event, where girls will be able to dress up and come to the shop for a tea party. Truesdell said this event will hopefully tie in with the Friday Night movie in the park.
"Niles needed something like this. They have princess shops all over in the big cities and we just thought this town needed it, too. There are so many girls like Laura who have a love for frilly items and we wanted to be able to offer them the items at a very reasonable cost," Truesdell said.
Another thing The Lolly Shop offers that no stores in town do are the new Webkin-stuffed animals, which have become a huge hit among 6- to 12-year-olds. This line of limited edition toys by the Ganz Co. have become somewhat of a phenomenon due to their virtual reality-based concept. Each animal comes with a secret code, which allows the owner access to an Internet world where they can play with and care for the new "pet," which automatically turns into a cartoon version of itself.
"We will be the only store in the are to have them and hope it they will bring traffic to downtown," Truesdell said.
If all this doesn't keep this mother-daughter team busy enough, both have booths at the French Market once a week.
"We try to alternate between Thursday's and Saturday's each week, but Laura really likes the market, so we try to come when we can and when it doesn't interfere with her summer camp," Truesdell said.
Truesdell explained that some of Laura's task at the store is making sure everything is in its right place, vacuuming, keeping it clean and making sure the selves are stocked.
"She earns a salary every week and has done a great job so far," Truesdell added.
If you have any questions about The Lolly Shop or Red Shoe Jewelry, call 684-1244. Both stores are located at 216 East Main St.