Boutique Selah Vie opens in Bradenton to benefit human trafficking victims
BRADENTON -- Seven months ago, a Bradenton storefront owned by Benderson Development Co. was floor-to-ceiling pipes and empty space. Thanks to a lot of generosity, it opened Wednesday as Selah Vie.
All proceeds to the double storefront boutique at 3510 53rd Ave. W. will benefit Selah Freedom, a local human trafficking victim support organization.
Elizabeth Fisher, CEO of Selah, said the store is the first of the organization's efforts to depend less on monetary donations for their regular operating costs.
"This is a year in the making to finally open the doors," said Mindie Camus, Selah Vie's retail coordinator. "Everything that you see on the floor for sale is all from our volunteers helping us work, getting it out here. And of course everything is donated to us."
Benderson donated the storefront to Selah Freedom rent free. Camus isn't sure how much they would have had to pay otherwise, but she knows other stores in that area pay about $1,800 per month. Local contractors and other volunteers donated time to organize merchandise and fix up the space into the homey, boutique space. They turned a drab warehouse space into an area that Lenette Moshier, a volunteer who supervised the design of the store, describes as an "Anthropologie, vintage mix."
"There were some tears
involved," Moshier said with a laugh.
It's a store specifically for women, with clothing, shoes, furniture, paintings, jewelry, purses and other knick-knacks, such as cooking utensils donated by Crate & Barrel.
"We're going to be an upscale resale shop. So we look a little more boutique, and we have a lot of things that people donated that still have tags on them," Camus said. "We have certain stores like Bealls and Crate & Barrel, and they've brought in a lot of things for us to be able to sell and use those profits for Selah Freedom."
But it's upscale without the cost. Prices are affordable, such as several pairs of shoes for $10, a large painting for $55 and a dress for $10 that Dianne VanEerden, a Bradenton resident for three years, said she saw at a shop in St. Armand's Circle recently for just under $200.
"I'm excited about that," said VanEerden, one of the store's first customers.
VanEerden spotted the large, $55 painting in the window -- an abstract composed of blues and browns in a wave pattern -- a couple weeks ago and has been waiting for the store to open ever since. Camus held it for her behind the register as she shopped and had to turn down another customer who wanted to see it.
"We recently purchased a new-to-us condo in Bradenton. I've been watching the picture in the window for over a couple weeks now," VanEerden said. "So I got here right at 10 (a.m.) and was able to secure that picture, and it's only $55. So I'm really excited, and it doesn't appear like there's any bumps or bruises on it."
The store has several square, weathered boards that contribute to the warm, vintage feeling of the space, but in a week or so they'll serve another purpose.
"We're going to paint facts and figures about human trafficking on those," Moshier said, showing boards in the restrooms. "So you're in here, on the toilet, and then you can see that and think, 'Wow, that's shocking.'"
Selah Freedom has a home based in East Manatee that houses survivors of human trafficking and rehabilitates them for at least a year. Camus is currently the only paid staff member of the store, and all other proceeds, besides what's needed to pay utilities, will go directly to Selah Freedom to help victims and increase prevention efforts.
Selah Freedom also entered a partnership with Ringling College on a web series directed by Dylan McDermott and produced by David Schapiro. The web series will film in Sarasota in the spring and focus on the struggles of a young woman as she tries to navigate the world.
The store is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays.
Kate Irby, Herald online/political reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7055. You can follow her on Twitter @KateIrby
This story was originally published February 10, 2016 at 11:55 PM with the headline "Boutique Selah Vie opens in Bradenton to benefit human trafficking victims ."