Fun Fact: by birth I am Texan. I was born north of Houston in the small town of Lufkin. However for most of my life I grew up in Harford County, MD. While I might not be a MD native, I sure do claim it as home. I have lived a few places in my life; Texas (childhood), Illinois (childhood), Pennsylvania (childhood), Maryland (life) and California (after college). I feel like that is actually a decent amount of places for one individual, but it was over many, many years. I wonder what it’s like for folks who constantly move. Maybe you are one of those people. Most of our country’s military families are like that… moving every couple of years and some every couple of months. Picking up and moving to a new state, town, community and having to learn so much all at once has to be difficult. Where is the grocery store, church, dry cleaners, nail salon, clothing stores, doctors office, dentist or veterinarian, just to name a few?! And, then will the community embrace you and make you feel not just welcome, but make you feel at home as well? It’s through experiences like these that military wife Ana Lewis came to find herself living in my childhood home of Harford County, MD. Her love for our community grew immediately as the town embraced her and her family. This is where she came up with the idea for Native or Not. A community built around connecting the local people with military families and those who have recently moved into town. Through this connection, many of the businesses within the Native or Not community offer military discounts as well as discounts to all community newcomers. I think I said yes before Ana could even finish asking me to host a Native or Not takeover! I loved her sincerity and, of course, the idea of community. And I couldn’t help but to be proud since it was also the community where I grew up.
The goal of my take over was to highlight the stylish boutiques on Main Street within the Native or Not community. It also happened to be perfectly timed to kick off Maryland’s Tax Free shopping week which officially starts today and runs through August 18th.
SPA ON THE BLVD
I started my day meeting up with Desiree Ortman, a local Harford County photographer, at Spa on the Blvd. This was my first time working with Desiree and she was AMAZING… just wait till you see the below photos!! You will definitely be seeing more from us together in the future. Desiree accompanied me throughout the day helping me capture the takeover content, including some pretty awesome boomerangs… we were pretty pleased with ourselves on those lol! Tiffany and xxxxx gave me a makeover session at Spa at the Blvd with hair and makeup. Since I was going to be casually shopping we went with a subtle day time foundation and shimmer eye pop paired with a small braid tied back to summery beach waves.
MAIN STREET
It wasn’t but a quick ride north to arrive on Bel Air’s Main Street where the shopping extravaganza would begin. In total I shopped at five local Native or Not community boutiques, so I’m sharing my favorites goodies from each one.
JULIE ELLYN DESIGNS
I started on Main Street South with Julie Ellyn Designs, who recently won Best of Baltimore 2018. From the moment I walked in, my eyes were drawn to so many unique pieces. Julie’s shop is perfect not only for handmade jewelry but for local art and gifts too! My particular favorite was this Mamma Tribe wrap bracelet.
VELVET TRUNK
Do you ever just wish you could own all the clothes?! That’s how I felt when I walked into Velvet Trunk!! Still holding onto summer but wanting to shop fall, I picked out a few favs to share. They still have a good selection of remaining summer pieces and tons of new fall finds like this trendy loose military green romper that I paired with black crop top and statement earrings. A perfect #ootd for those upcoming warmer fall days!
TINY TOES
Oh my cuteness!!! Tiny Toes is absolutely an ELEVEN out of ten on the adorable scale! Of course, I could pick hundreds of cool things to share, but I thought it was best leave it to the expert. So, Spencer brought up the one and only Kade to make a cameo during my shopping trip to share his wish list with us! I think he could have stayed in there all day! First, Kade started playing with some plush cars, then wanted to read Good Night Maryland, and play with some other toys. Recently, Kade has really been into animals and the moment he spied Rody it was all over! He was determined to take Rody for a ride! You may find yourself dreading shopping with your littles, but no need to dread at Tiny Toes! Bring your kiddos, the store is completely little friendly with a play area in the back. Kids can play and you can shop!
URBAN PEARL
Dresses, Pants, Intimates, Handbags, Jewelry and More… OH MY! That is exactly what you will find at Urban Pearl! While eyeing up their denim selection, I spied this gorgeous blush beaded cocktail dress and had to give it a try!!!! As you know, dresses are my weakness. I love them! This dress would be stunning for a fancier evening out or a cocktail party. I also loved their selection of bralettes and handbags!
PINK SILHOUETTE
The Pink Silhouette is near and dear to my heart. They opened their doors over 10+ years ago, just a few yards from their current location in an adorable pink barn as the only Belair boutique to carry Lilly Pulitzer (my all-time favorite brand). When you walk in you can’t help but to be greeted with happiness. Their selection of preppy chic apparel and giftables makes me want to sip cocktails and catch up with girlfriends somewhere near the water.
Wishing you a successful tax free shopping week! If you find yourself on Main Street in Harford County, whether you’re a native or not, you should definitely stop in these shops!
Thank you to @native_or_not and @desireeortmanphotography for an extremely fun & stylish collaboration!
