100% Locally Owned, Independent and Free

100% Locally Owned, Independent and Free

Why this new boutique is giving more young women the 'chance to feel beautiful'

Do you have a news tip? Click here to send to our news team.

Coast taps into better water security with $8m upgrade

Seqwater has poured $8 million into a plant upgrade to provide Sunshine Coast residents with safe drinking water. Five water filters at Landers Shute Water More

Photo of the day: patterns at dawn

Helen Browne nabbed this photo of ripples in the sand at Mooloolaba Beach during a winter sunrise. If you have a photo of the day offering, More

B2B: The lawyer, the iPhone and $13m

For a will to be validly executed, it must meet certain requirements. For example, it must be signed by two witnesses. The court recently had More

Priceless glimpse at Clive Palmer’s finest rare cars

Australian billionaire businessman and politician Clive Palmer is set to exhibit six of his finest rare cars at a free annual motoring event. The Noosa More

Low-cost supermarket to relocate to renowned site

A charity that provides low-cost food and vital community support is set to relocate to a main street. The Everyday Foundation will move into a More

Crime scene declared after two men found dead

Police are appealing for information as they investigate the circumstances around two men who were located deceased at a Maroochydore property. Emergency services were called More

Believing every girl deserves the opportunity to have a new, designer dress for a school formal or special occasion, a Sunshine Coast woman has opened a boutique with affordability in mind.

Emily Becker knows all too well the hardship of having to attend a school formal in a borrowed dress and is hoping to give every young girl the “chance to feel beautiful” at Ella and Pip.

“Because of the COVID and the financial situation a lot of people are in, we’ve had a lot more younger girls looking for dresses for school formals or parties or events, who are looking for that affordability,” she said.

Ella and Pip has opened in Kawana, offering affordable formal wear for teenagers and younger women.

“That’s why we decided to open up a store specifically for the younger girls. It is a party dress destination.

“Personally, I didn’t have the opportunity to have a new formal dress, so I borrowed shoes, borrowed my bag, did my own hair.

“I just believe everyone deserves to have a nice new dress.

“Everybody, no matter what your income is, no matter who you are, deserves to feel beautiful and pretty. We are so passionate about that.”

The store, at Kawana Shoppingworld, stocks a range of cocktail and formal dresses ranging from sizes 4 to 18, all priced below mid-$200, and a range of accessories $30 or less.

The affordability of $300 to $400 for a dress just isn’t fair, so it’s more giving everyone the opportunity to still be able to afford something if they were going out, or something new,” she said.

“With the long formal dresses, we do have them at a 7/8 length rather than a full length to avoid the cost of having to have it altered.”

Courtney Schaumburg at the new Ella and Pip boutique. Picture: Warren Lynam.

The name Ella and Pip is a sweet nod to Ms Becker’s two-year-old granddaughter.

“I’ve actually started the store for my granddaughter. Her name is Ella and she has a mini dachshund called Pippa.”

Help keep independent and fair Sunshine Coast news coming by subscribing to our free daily news feed. All it requires is your name and email. See SUBSCRIBE at the top of this article.

Ella and Pip is a nod to Ms Becker’s two-year-old granddaughter and her faithful dachshund.

To further help young girls attend their school formals, the store donates a portion of its profit to a community dress program.

“Ten per cent of all the sales at Ella and Pip go towards sponsoring girls to attend school formals through local schools,” Ms Becker said.

“We had a girl last year –  we paid for the hair, the makeup, the outfit, the shoes, everything.

“It’s all about helping each other.”

Ella and Pip is located in Kawana Shoppingworld, opposite Aldi. 

Subscribe to SCN’s free daily news email

This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
[scn_go_back_button] Return Home
Share