Since she was a child, JoAnn McCullough has been working with fabric and clothing. From working at the Sampson Shirt Factory and Washington Garment Factory as a young woman to sewing clothes for local women out of her home, it’s safe to say she knows a thing or two about helping ladies look and feel their best through what they wear.

That’s the whole mission behind Lady J Unique Boutique, a new clothing and apparel store that recently opened on Market Street.

From instilling confidence and happiness in the women they serve, to offering reasonable prices on clothes and apparel, JoAnn McCullough, her husband Charles and shop employee Toni Tripp, see the store as a way to help make people happy.

“That’s something that the Lord put into me, to encourage another woman,” JoAnn McCullough said. “To tell them ‘You are beautiful’ and ‘You are fearfully and wonderfully made’ because God created you. No matter what others say about you, you’ve got to know who you are yourself.”

For JoAnn McCullough, starting a boutique has been a 14-year dream. On the wall of the shop, amidst an array of decorations, a sign with a few simple words sums up the story of JoAnn’s journey to opening her own storefront: “She believed she could, so she did.”

The couple started out selling clothes at meticulously organized yard sales, always ensuring prices were affordable. Using her sewing skills, JoAnn spent many years sewing clothes for local women out of her home. Last February, the couple purchased part of an inventory a downtown business was keeping in storage, giving her everything she needed to start a boutique.

After looking at real estate, in November, the two rented space at the Suites at 158, with Joey and Candice Moore helping them find the space. Establishing her business there, the two began looking for something bigger. In December, they found the new space, setting up shop at the location on Market Street. The storefront, owned by Neil Partrick, had been vacant for four years, and was just what they needed. The couple opened shop the first of the year.

“When she was coming up, there was a lot of times when she wanted apparel, and she couldn’t afford it,” Charles McCullough said. “But she could afford the material. Because of her skill in sewing, she would make her clothes since she couldn’t afford to buy them. She would make them to go to church or anything she needed to do outside of that. That’s what really gave her the incentive to do what she’s doing now, because a lot of people can’t go out and buy the really expensive stuff.”

Faith also plays a big role for the McCulloughs, not just in the business, but in their daily lives. Charles McCullough is the pastor of Harvest Time Evangelistic Outreach in Chocowinity. The two say that giving is an important part of their lives, and between that and JoAnn’s experiences as a young woman, the business owners want to ensure that anyone can come into the store and walk out with something nice. Nothing is priced higher than $50.

“Some of the stuff is expensive,” JoAnn McCullough said. “But in my heart, I brought it down. I want them to see they can have an expensive piece at a reasonable price.”

The shop is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursdays through Saturdays.