Seventeen years ago, Hallie Phillips set out to create a unique shopping  experience when she opened the Belle G boutique on North Hills Street.

Today, Phillips’ vision is being reborn in downtown Meridian as Belle G has relocated to the corner of 8th Street and 22nd. Ave.

With the help of her daughters McCall Waller, buyer and manager, and Hallie Majure Dyess, buyer and marketing director (including e-commerce marketing), Phillips opened their new 7200 square foot space on May 25.

“We wanted to be an integral part of our growing downtown area,” Waller said of the move. “We’re so happy our little corner is the newest addition to the merchants close by us.”

Belle G aims to create the hometown department store feel with their lines of clothing, gifts, and formalwear.

“We’re so excited for Belle G to be a part of the downtown Meridian family,” Dyess said. “We’ve gotten to meet and help so many new customers. I like to think of Belle G as a lifestyle store. Whether you’re looking for a fun gift for a friend, a gorgeous piece for your home, a cute outfit for date night, or a beautiful gown for a special event.”

“We want our customers to know at Belle G, they can get it all,” Phillips explains. “We provide bridesmaid dresses, mother of the bride dresses in all sizes and, available for a custom order…We offer services, such as alterations, free gift wrap, mailing and delivery, and accept all payment forms. We also have an extensive online platform.”

‘We’re all one big family’

Phillips said that if the COVID-19 pandemic taught them one thing, it was the value of personal relationships with the customers.

“We weren’t closed for long, but even when we were, our customers knew they could call or text, and we would accommodate their needs. Our customers are like our friends and family,” she said. That sense of family is what we are expounding on at our new location. Our fellow business owners, like Harvest Grill, Over the Moon, Fundamental Nutrition, Indigo Child and Jean’s… we’re all one big family, and we want our customers to know we are here for them.”

Phillips contracted all the work herself to make the move happen.

“This building was ready in a short three months’ time because our mom stayed with it,” Waller said, with a laugh. “She would sit in the window when we didn’t even have chairs here to oversee the work and make sure everything was completed perfectly.”

“We’ve come a long way from 2004,” Phillips noted. “I saw a need for a specialty boutique that could accommodate the tastes of a broad spectrum of ages. Today, I think we have that and more. A grandmother can come to find age-appropriate clothing and shop for her granddaughter, too. Belle G is a lifestyle that spans a variety of tastes and a wide range of fashion preferences.”

Waller agrees.

“We have found our home in the heart of downtown Meridian,” she said. ‘We can’t wait to welcome our people, our customers who have been with us since the beginning, and new clientele who will soon become a part of our family too.”