More fashion outlets open on Main Street

The number of women's fashion outlets along Main Street continues to grow with the arrival of two more boutiques.

A third purveyor of women's clothing has launched a "pop up" store just off Main.

Splash on Main, which specializes in women's swimsuits, opens Friday in the West End, across the street from the Breakwater Restaurant & Bar.

J. Britt begins selling designer clothes for various ages next week in space along North Main that formerly housed a crepe restaurant.

They join at least 15 other retailers along the Main Street corridor that specialize in women's apparel, many of them new and most of them not part of chains, according to the city of Greenville's economic development department.

The 26-year-old owner of J. Britt, Brittany Petrilla, said she's glad her store is located close to other boutiques "because you draw traffic from each other, and you can share customers."

Originally from Raleigh, Petrilla has a bachelor's degree in fashion and textile management from North Carolina State University.

She worked in New York as an intern for Donna Karan, the well-known designer, and was a buyer for Ben Silver, a men's clothing company in Charleston.

She also worked at boutiques in Raleigh and Greenville before deciding to open her own store.

"I think Greenville's done such a great job of helping small businesses and not allowing these big-box stores to come in and take over everything, which makes it hard for a small business," Petrilla said.

"I love it here," she said. "I think it's a great place to be young but also have a family."

Her 2,300-square-foot store includes a curved display window fronting Main.

She painted the walls a creamy gray and installed new lighting, flooring and display cases.

She also hung two, five-foot-tall chandeliers and set aside space in the back for a lounge with a television "so if a guy wants to come hang out while his wife is shopping he can come watch football or golf or whatever."

Anne Mayher, owner of Splash on Main, formerly worked for a talent agency in Los Angeles and as a corporate travel manager in Greenville.

She sees room in the local market for an independent purveyor of designer swimsuits like the store that's been in business for 40 years in her hometown of Albany, Georgia.

With five other boutiques nearby in the West End, "I didn't want to just open another women's boutique," Mayher said. "I needed to have a niche."

In addition to swimsuits and cover ups, she sells accessories, home décor and jewelry out of the 3,500-square-foot space, which formerly housed a wedding store.

Mayher, 41, will be among the West End merchants vending from the street on June 6 during a special event called Affair in the West End.

It's designed to promote West End retailers and will include music and food, she said.

The "pop up," or temporary, store opened two weeks ago in the same 2,000-square-foot space at RiverPlace where two other women's fashion stores, Talloni Shoes and Plaza Suite, came and went.

It was launched by Wendy Turner and Leslie Scott, both former assistant principals with Greenville County schools.

They're using part of the space for Page Stewart, which sells designer clothes.

Turner, apart from Scott, is using some of the space for Livy James, which sells children's and tween-size clothing she designs and sells under the Livy James and Smockadot Kids brands.

Some of the children's and tween-size clothing is made in Greenville.

Both women have sold clothing online and at special shopping events and decided to try their luck in a brick-and-mortar outlet, Turner said.

"Depending on how it goes, we may consider a long-term agreement," she said.

The city's economic development department lists these other stores along the Main Street corridor that specialize in women's apparel: Anthropologie, Augusta Twenty, Beija-Flor Denim Salon, Bevello, Cocabella Boutique, Cone & Coleman Collection, Custard Boutique, Mainstream Boutique, Monkees of the West End, Pink Bee, Poinsett Bride, Taz Boutique, Thorn Boutique, Traveling Chic Boutique and Wish.

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