Storytellerz Boutique is a dress shop located in the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City in Arlington, Virginia, one of more than a dozen Black-owned businesses operating in the facility.
Owned by Lakeisha Wells, the store specializes in trendy, edgy informal, casual wear primarily for women. The store sits north of the mall’s entrance to Nordstrom.
“I tell people when they need to find me, go by the Nordstrom and look to the left,” Wells, 49, said.
Customers can purchase colorful clothes such as skirts, tops, dresses, pants, hoodies and non-clothing items such as butter perfume. She said some men shop in the store for hoodies for either their female family members and friends or themselves.
“The hoodies are unisex,” she said. “As a matter of fact, men are my easiest customers because they usually know what they want when they come to the store.”
Wells said her products range in price from medium to high due to the quality of the clothing. She said a healthy customer base visits her store and has made the location profitable.
“The Simon Property Group gave me a really good deal in terms of a lease for the shop,” she said. “I like it here and I intend to stay.”