MARMORA — A love of shopping together led a mother-daughter duo to open their own women’s boutique in 2017, and now they have expanded with a second location in Upper Township.
Kathy and Megan Bellucci, who opened Wild Magnolia Boutique at Woodland Village and just finished their ninth summer there, held a grand opening of their new shop Aug. 28 in the Wayside Village at 54 Tuckahoe Road in Marmora.
“Our hope for Wild Magnolia is that women of all ages can come in, shop together and find great things. We offer affordable clothing for all types of women,” Kathy said. “We love being part of our small-business community and being able to build long-lasting relationships with our customers.”
When her daughter was young, Kathy would take Megan out of school once each year for a mother-daughter shopping day. The tradition continued through elementary, middle and high school, as well as college and beyond.
Their love of shopping days turned into a dream of creating a place for other women to shop together and have a positive experience.
“With all of the items being selected by mother and daughter, we truly believe that there is something here for women of all ages, where they can find items that will make them look and feel their very best,” Kathy said.
Megan, a 35-year-old Corbin City resident, attended Upper Township schools and graduated from Ocean City High School in 2009. She now teaches art at Buena Regional High School.
Kathy, 63, also was a teacher, working at Creative Learning in Linwood, Atlantic County, and retired as a preschool teacher. She now lives in Marmora.
They chose Upper Township because of their connections to the area and their belief that the township needed something a boutique like this.
“If we want to go shopping together, there are not a lot of options. We wanted to bring something like that to Upper Township,” Megan said. “We’re excited to be part of the community. It was really nice to have so many women come in this past week and hear them say the area needed something like this.”
The boutique carries women’s clothing, home decor, accessories and handmade art.
“A lot of very casual, day-to-day basics but we have fun patterns, basic pieces but also fun pieces,” she said.
Megan said clothing ranges from $28 for tops to $88 for jackets, while their top seller is Judy Blue jeans for about $65. She added that women shop at their boutique specifically for the jeans.
As for the name, Megan said she and her mother were taking a bike ride and thinking about names when they passed Magnolia Street and liked the word.
With the shop being so new and the tourism season over, business hours are fluid right now. They are open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursdays to Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays.
With so many people now shopping online, the boutique offers free shipping for orders exceeding $75. They are happy to say they have shipped to all 50 states. Visit shopwildmagnolia.com.
– By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff
