Published: May 03, 2008 11:33 pm            

Store brings quality maternity wear to Edmond

EDMOND — Soon-to-be mothers can be stylish all year-round with quality bathing suits, dresses, pants and tops at BellaBlu Maternity, 323 S. Blackwelder Ave.

Tim Kilkenny, an Edmond resident, bought BellaBlu Maternity September 2006 as an online business from a woman in North Carolina. Before he bought the Web site, BellaBlu sold mostly novelty T-shirts and low-quality clothes. Kilkenny said many customers were sending clothes back because they didn’t make it successfully through the first wash.

“High quality is what I’ve changed online,” he said. “It’s affordable for the quality you get.”

He opened a physical location in December because the online business was so successful and there was a need for a high-end maternity clothing store in Edmond.

“It’s exceeded my expectations,” he said.

Kilkenny went to different maternity shows and researched to find clothes with high-quality fabrics. Many maternity stores sell plain clothing with no style, he said.

“We’re shifting to where career wear is popular,” he said. “(Clothes) fit better now, too.”

Christina Wilkey, an employee, said a popular item is the Bella Band. The cloth band fits over women’s jeans when they can no longer button them. The band appears as a tank top underneath a shirt, when it actually is hiding the fact that the jeans are unbuttoned.

Wilkey said other trends include form-fitting clothes, novelty T-shirts and swim suits that fit over the stomach.

The store’s spring line will include sleeveless and short-sleeved tops and the summer line will include sun dresses and swimsuits. The store also sells hospital gowns, which can be monogrammed. Kilkenny said many women are more comfortable in their own gowns than hospital gowns.

Clothing items cost $30 to $160 and come in petite to extra large sizes. Kilkenny said customers can look through a catalog and order formal wear, even though it is not sold in the store. Bra sizes range from 34-38 and come in C, D and E cup sizes.

BellaBlu Maternity is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Friday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.



FOR MORE information about the store, go online to www.bellablumaternity.com or call BellaBlu Maternity at 285-9003.

        

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