Downtown JC welcomes new business Maybell and Mine

Downtown Johnson City is getting a little more stylish – and staying comfortable while doing so. New business Maybell and Mine recently opened its doors in downtown Johnson City, giving customers an array of custom-designed women's clothing. Olivia Adkins, owner of Maybell and Mine, said finding the downtown location for her business came shortly after its online launch in March and ended up being the ideal fit for what she wanted in a physical storefront. "We were originally looking for an office space and then stumbled upon this downtown space that was just kind of perfect and met all the needs we had for the office and the sewing area that we wanted," she said. "It also had the storefront, so we ended up going with that for the downtown area." Adkins said her business sells women's dresses and matching sets that lack zippers, fasteners and/or buttons and are made of stretchy fabric to help ensure comfort for the wearer. The patterns and prints on the clothing are also custom-made by the business's Australian-based print artist, and Adkins and her sister use the location's sewing area to personally create their assorted product lines. "The sewing area is for the samples that we make in muslin [fabric]," Adkins said. "We sketch and design everything in house, hand-sew our samples, and then that is what is sent to our manufacturer to develop the actual full line of products." Adkins said her business's unique qualities help to set it apart from the other retail shops while simultaneously adding to the connectivity between the variety of businesses. Since Maybell and Mine's doors opened June 27, Adkins said she's already seen the benefits of those connections and praised the support of other business owners. "I want to contribute that [success] to some of the other businesses that have shared about us through word-of-mouth or on social media or just encouraging other people to come in, even if it's adjacent to another clothing boutique," she said. "It's just been cool to not be seen as competition, and the more traffic we all drive to the downtown area, the better off we all do. That has driven so much sales for us specifically." Alongside contributing to the downtown shopping scene, she added she wants to work with other downtown business owners to host events and participate in driving more traffic to the area through local collaboration. "I've noticed through living there in years past and coming there to visit how fast it's developing with all the new things and the upkeep that they're doing and all the other new businesses thriving there," she said. "I know a few other business owners in the area and hear about the success they've had down there. It's just [about] being able to add to that community and Johnson City overall with other retail options." Maybell and Mine is located at 317 E. Main St.