“I always envisioned bringing 5th Avenue, New York to Main Street, Bel Air,” revealed Brittany Welsh, the proud new owner of The Mannequin on Main. The consignment shop has just opened in downtown Bel Air, under new management.

     And surprisingly, Brittany admitted, “I never even thought owning a business would be a possibility.” Brittany had worked part time for the previous owner, Dawn Wise, for 13 years. Wise had recently decided to move to the eastern shore and soon after, presented Brittany the opportunity to buy the business and move forward with her own ideas. 

     The consignment shop is changing its name from Country Britches to The Mannequin on Main. Brittany revealed, “that name came to me in a dream while on vacation this past summer at 3 a.m. and I have just kind of run with it from there!”

     Brittany expressed becoming the new owner of the shop, “was kind of unreal.” After working there for so many years part time, she explained that, “it took a few days for it to sink in that this was now mine!” Her daughter, junior Haley Welsh, revealed her reaction was that, “I was proud of [my mom] because she was finally doing [something] great for herself.”

     And Brittany claimed that she has already learned a lot about small businesses. She said there are, “lots of little things to consider and remember, but it hasn’t certainly made me stay organized.”

     Not only has she learned from the new experience but she also mentioned, “the idea was so exciting, that it ignited a creative fire that I couldn’t ignite.” Similarly, Haley admitted she is most excited, “to watch my mom get creative and have fun and be happy doing something.” Brittany’s ongoing process of ideas will lead up to the grand opening weekend of Feb. 6 to 7.

     Her new ideas include, adding more crafts and local artisans to the shop, and showcasing an artist of the month. Brittany also said, “I plan on redecorating the display windows every month.”

     Brittany’s daughters, Haley and Sage are students at North Harford. She added that they, “will be a big part of this adventure and are very excited to be my social media experts and helping hands.” Haley said, “my sister and I help with setting up displays and staying after to work with mom around the shop to get things done.”