Story by : Faith Callens

On Monday , “Bee Lou Boutique” , a store in Selma launched its grand opening online.

Business Owner and co-founder of Selma’s “Purple Tulip” Shanika Brown went live on Facebook to introduce the new online boutique.

Brown stated in the video that the idea and the name for the online store came about after the sudden death of her mother, Mrs. Betty Lou Brown.

”She was the life of the party , totally energetic and we went through a very tragic situation last year when covid came around and she died first , my brother died eight days later, my dad died as well. I became sick , my other daughter became sick , and it just was a lot”, said Brown.

Mrs. Betty Lou was 73 years old.

As the live continued , Brown mentioned her mom was her inspiration , her everything and her bestfriend who could dress anyone that she came across.

“She was a fashionista of the family, I mean if you wanted something you could get it . She was a very snazzy dresser, she always was just a great mom all around. She always could look at a book and tell you what was hot and what was not, what would work and what wouldn’t”, said Brown.

In her mother’s earlier days , she worked at a clothing store called Kenley’s in Selma being a sales associate who always aspired to be a business owner and when the opportunity came, Mrs. Betty Lou took her chance.

Before Mrs. Betty Lou’s death , she planned to let her daughter take over “Purple Tulip” once she retired but that dream came to a halt quite too soon.

March 22nd wasn’t just a launch date for “Bee Lou Boutique” but it actually was a date that is forever drawn to Shanika’s heart.

It was also her parents 52nd wedding anniversary.

On Facebook, Brown devoted her hardwork and dedication to launch the online store to her parents on live and mentioned that previous posts about the new boutique started to bring customers in all across the states months before the official launch date.

Bee Lou Boutique plans to serve more fashionable clothes to attract audiences from the ages of 18 to 45 and as a business owner of the online boutique, Shanika Brown hopes other entrepreneurs realize just how much effort it takes to run a business.

” When you sign up for something like this , this is blood, sweat , tears , everything . It’s everyday, all day , there are no days off literally. You have be dedicated to what you do “, said Brown.