1 of 32
2 of 32
3 of 32
4 of 32
5 of 32
6 of 32
7 of 32
8 of 32
9 of 32
10 of 32
11 of 32
12 of 32
13 of 32
14 of 32
15 of 32
16 of 32
17 of 32
18 of 32
19 of 32
20 of 32
21 of 32
22 of 32
23 of 32
24 of 32
25 of 32
26 of 32
27 of 32
28 of 32
29 of 32
30 of 32
31 of 32
32 of 32
3 Sisters, one dream.
Meet Stellaluna Raine; 3 Annapolis born sisters, Taryn, Jantra and Dara, who grew up with dreams of running a business together. However, these dreams faded into mere memories as they each pursued their own careers, Dara and Taryn in the field of speech pathology as Jantra pursued her lifelong passion in the fashion industry.
That was, until the pandemic hit in 2020.
“The pandemic came in like a wrecking ball, uprooting the careers of many, including my own,” said Jantra, middle sister and founder of Stellaluna Raine. Jantra was not alone, as many across the world struggled to figure out how to make ends meet, “however, the silver lining was that the pandemic gave me the opportunity and time to focus on what I really want to do, and the chance to finally pursue my dream of running a business with my sisters.”
As such, Stellaluna Raine was born and launched in March of 2021, and the sisters’ childhood games of playing ‘store’ were no longer in their imagination. The idea was to create a boutique for all, Jantra says, “the 3 of us have always had very different figures and styles, and on top of that, of course, different budgets. Our e-boutique is curated to appeal to women of many sizes, shapes and styles.”
The boutique mainly carries women's fashions for $50 and under and up to size 3X, but they also feature a curated selection of kids, mens and some home goods. The sisters felt there was a gap in the market and set off to offer pieces that "have a fun, feel-good vibe to them, something affordable and unique that you can't necessarily find at big-box retailers."
Stellaluna Raine is a unique family affair, including help from everyone including their parents’, spouses, brother and kids. Not only do the sisters collaborate to pick the best pieces, they also let their children play a role, "growing up, our parents always let us express ourselves through fashion, so we let our kids pick children's pieces for the boutique that they love as well!"
Something else they all strongly agreed on when creating their collaboration was giving back; "once a month, we Shop for a Cause, where we choose a foundation that we would like to give back and donate a percentage of the sales for the day." Since its genesis in March, Stellaluna Raine, has given back to 10 different charities that are near and dear to their hearts, and look forward to expanding that list as they grow their business.
The three sisters are also busy mothers with eight children between them, and hectic schedules to maintain, but the boutique offers a much needed creative outlet to work together and just have fun. Their bi-weekly live try-ons on social media give a firsthand look into their humorous sister dynamic, while giving customers sneak peeks at new pieces as well as how they fit on different body types.
As for now, the sisters have no plans to create a brick & mortar and because of this; are able to offer complimentary local delivery, easy returns and participation in local pop-ups. They run promos frequently, such as free shipping, as well as offer a rewards & referrals program. "We want our customers to feel at ease when shopping with us by incorporating the things that are most important to us as consumers."
Lastly, they host monthly giveaways featuring products from fellow women-owned local companies to support and promote them, as well as to inspire others to shoot for the stars, “It just takes one person or one post to motivate you. We would scroll on social media and be in awe of others who were finally taking the big leap during the pandemic, so we thought, why not just finally do it now?”
In return, they have received nothing but support & encouragement not only from those who inspired them, but have now made so many new connections within the local women-owned small business community, “It’s been a truly amazing experience. Nothing better than seeing women supporting women, supporting local and of course, shopping small. We are super excited to see what the future holds for our little boutique!"
Stellaluna Raine can be found online at www.stellalunaraine.com and on both Facebook and Instagram @stellalunaraine.
