When Lisa Aull opened Lil Bit Sassy in downtown Owensboro 6 years ago, she knew she wanted to bring families a selection of boutique clothing and a unique shopping experience. Aull recently opened her second store, Alisa Nicole Dancewear, and is thrilled to offer products and services geared toward the dance community.
“Almost 2 years ago, Lil Bit Sassy started carrying a line of dancewear and I didn’t realize it would be such a huge turnout and become such a big part of our store,” Aull said.
As the dancewear branch of the store continued to grow, Aull realized that there was an opportunity to expand that into a second store — one focused primarily on individual dancers and dance teams within the community.
“Our service representatives at Lil Bit Sassy also help pick out clothes in the boutique. We want kids to come in and be kids, eat suckers and enjoy themselves, and it might take away from that focus. I decided to separate these two entities,” Aull said.
One of the services offered at Alisa Nicole Dancewear is fitting dancers with their pointe shoes, a special process that requires trained staff and allows for a unique experience for the dancer.
In the past, local dancers traveled to Louisville or Nashville to be fitted for these shoes.
“Busy working parents don’t have time to drive 2 hours away. We needed to offer this in Owensboro,” Aull said.
The dance store will incorporate opportunities to work with entire dance teams, offering a special discount when they all come in together. Aull is proud to be a one-stop shop, offering quality products and a variety of dance gear.
“I feel like we have it all but if I don’t have something in stock, we will have it in 3 days,” Aull said. “My prices will be better than anywhere you can get it.”
Alisa Nicole offers tap, ballet, jazz, lyrical, character shoes, costumes, and an assortment of dance gear. Aull is excited to serve the community in this capacity and reach the surrounding areas as well.
“The teams are coming in before their competitions — I think it’s exciting. We have already worked with several Indiana teams as well. I can special order costumes for performances like The Nutcracker,” Aull said.
The store was named after each of her daughters, using their middle names.
“My girls were so excited. Their name is now everywhere and we love it. We are ready to serve dance studios and school dance teams. We offer a discount for this from Owensboro. Support local, sponsor local, be local is how we do it,” Aull said.
Alisa Nicole, located at 115 West Second Street, is open Thursdays and Fridays from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. They are closed on Sundays and Mondays. The store website, which will be ready soon, will allow for customers to come in by appointment only on Tuesdays or Wednesdays for private fittings.
