The Starting Point...

Ahlanna's is NOT just charm bracelets. YES, we are living a 'Charmed Life'…BUT we have so much more to offer you. Of course we want you ALL to live 'A Charmed Life' with us, but we also want you to live a 'fashionable' life too!!!

Every good designer or 'household' name has a signature item:

·        Coco Chanel had the cardigan and little black dress

·        Louis Vuitton has luggage

·        Christian Louboutin has woman's shoes with shiny, red-lacquered soles

·        Even McDonalds has a signature item, the Big Mac.

Every successful person had a starting point. There was one idea that they were passionate about and they made it happen. 'A Charmed Life' is just that, our starting point!!! We know what we want in our boutique. We want exclusive designs. One of a kind selection and service. Our charm bracelets allow us to give you everything we'd hope you get from our store: exclusivity, quality, creativity and selection...Just like you won't find another person with the same 'A Charmed Life' charm bracelet as you, our goal is to not duplicate styles in the boutique either. So, if you've ever wondered about Ahlanna's and charm bracelets and how to connect the dots, just think of it as our starting point…

The Charm Bracelet is the one item that will be a daily reminder of how far we have to go…when the Spring comes and the boutique has opened, it will be the item that reminds of how far we have come…

Our Fashion Love Story....

How does the story behind our name, lend itself to fashion? Its depends on how you define fashion and where you apply it to your life?

Fashion; style in clothes, cosmetics, behaviour, etc., esp the latest or most admired style

Fashion is not only clothes and cosmetics, but it refers to behaviours too. So, its not just what and how we wear things that's makes us fashionable but how we do them and how we do things has a very direct link to our thoughts. We all know the saying or idea that how we feel on the inside depicts how we dress...but does that have to be your reality?

Have you ever had to be fashionable when your dying inside? How do you dress to show understanding, when you yourself don't understand? What fashions do you wear, to fight a battle that's not yours?  How do you dress to endure pain? What outfit screams, 'Im smiling through my tears?'

During this ordeal these are all questions and feelings that we have all struggled with. The passing of Ahlanna taught us to NOT let our feelings define our fashion and to not only smile through the tears and the pain, but to look good while doing it! Ahlanna has taught us the true meaning of fashion.

She has taught that no matter what we do, no matter what we go through...We must always remember to remain 'an admired style'...

As we prepare for Ahlanna's the womans boutique it is our goal, that you to will be admired!!!

What is a Boutique.....

Boutique: small shopping outlet, especially one that specializes in elite and fashionable items; one of a kind
Or
Boutique: small shop or small specialty store, especially one that sells fashionable clothes and accessories or a special selection of other merchandise.

At Ahlanna’s are goal is to be all of that AND MORE!!! We want to make sure that EVERY item of clothing that we carry is one of a kind, affordable and fashionable. Have you ever had one of those times when you waited until the last minute to buy a new outfit for a special event, so you rush to the mall, only to go into a chain store, that mass orders EVERYTHING, and you worry about someone else having on the same thing!!!!! It is our goal to eliminate the stares and the ackwardness of two (maybe more) people having on the same outfit!!!

Elite, one of a kind, specialty: by definition these are the things that makes us a ‘boutique’…it’s the selection and how you feel when you step in the door that makes us ‘Ahlannas’

Ahlanna’s Woman’s Boutique COMING SPRING 2011…Stay tuned for special coupons, offers and more In the meantime……Check for us on facebook or www.ahlannas.com!!!!

Fashion Love Story....

For decades women have been making sure to "dress to impress". We went from having morning dresses, afternoon dresses, evening gowns, and simpler dresses to being able to rock some skinny's and a killer pair of stilettos to practically any event (aside from a formal affair) and look like we've step in off of the runway.

Honestly, fashion didn't become a huge part in my life until I was older. Like many women I began to see fashion as a way to express myself. My "Minor Obsession" with fashion kind of reminds me of an artist and a complete work of art. When a spectator steps back and takes a look, they can see what the artist was feeling or what statement she was trying to make. The same goes for how I want the world to view my style. I guess now I'm Dressing to "Express".

OK, now that you've been introduced to my "Minor Obsession". I just have one question...

When Did You Fall In Love with Fashion????

ITS OUR TIME NOW...

Ahlanna’s would like to take this time to wish everyone a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

With the New Year comes a lot of resolutions and a time for reflection. Myself and the Ladies of Ahlannas are also using this time reflect on the previous year and make some changes. There were A LOT of tears in 2010, things that occurred that have taught us that sometimes, all you can do is smile through your pain and your tears. We have watched each other stay strong in the midst of our pain and our trials, and we have offered understanding even when we ourselves didn’t understand…So, with that being said, NO MORE TEARS IN 2011!!!!! We want 2011 to be a year of celebration and a year of getting things DONE (and looking FABOLOUS while doing them!!!). It’s easy to celebrate our own victories, but I think it’s time that we learn to celebrate the victories of OTHERS!!! As WOMAN, we ALL KNOW we can be very VERY hard on each other, just unfriendly toward each other for NO REASON, or for some of the smallest things that happened YEARS ago!!! Well, I say we ALL GROW UP, leave the past in the past and grow beyond all the pettiness of 2010…The question is How:

First, When you pass another woman, ACKNOWLEDGE her..(have you ever realized how quick males are to offer a ‘head-nod’ or a ‘what’s up?’ to each other ???)…Im not saying have a full blown conversation, but for starters a simple smile or a ‘Hey, how you doing’ goes a LONG way…

Second, in 2011 lets learn to COMPLIMENT one another…As women we will stare another woman up and down, because we are admiring something she has on or her style, and we will tell our friends, “Her shoes are cute’…but we will NOT pay her the compliment...(but the we wonder why she is looking at you funny)…lets give credit where credit is due!!!

Its time out for us WOMAN to NOT get along with each other, when we honestly don’t KNOW one another…Woman are so quick to say they don’t have female friends and they don’t trust other females, but how many of us has really taken the time to get to know or be cordial to another woman that we didn’t know…We are all so quick to dislike another female over these ‘men’..(and if we are REAL with ourselves about our ‘relationships’...we would already know HE isn’t innocent)..lets start putting more of the blame on our MAN… So, in 2011 the ladies of Ahlanna’s are encouraging everyone (OURSELVES INCLUDED) to make this a year of SISTERLY LOVE…

This year lets come together and be nicer toward one another, lets not be so quick to judge (because we all have our skeletons)…we all know how HARD it is being a WOMAN, so lets not add another struggle to each other’s lives…AHLANNA'S PRESENTS THE 'ITS MY TURN NOW' AWARDS.....NOMINATE A WOMAN, THAT YOU KNOW OR DONT KNOW...FOR HANDLING HER BUSINESS...MS. INDEPENDENT...ALL MY DIVA'S...EVEN THOSE WITH A LITTLE PRETTY GIRL SWAG...SO, PRETTY GIRL ROCK WITH US AND NOMINATE A WOMAN TODAY....

Where does the name AHLANNA’s come from?

Ahlanna’s would like to share with you where our name comes from.

One of the ladies of Ahlanna’s gave birth to a beautiful baby girl named Ahlanna Nicole on July 11, 2009. Ahlanna was a very happy, playful baby that loved to smile and laugh. Unfortunately, Ahlanna life on earth was cut short due to uneventful circumstances. Ahlanna was taken from us on Nov. 21, 2009.

We, the ladies of Ahlanna’s Boutique, believe that Ahlanna is an angel. Of course we know that all babies are angels, but it was the spirit of Ahlanna that allows us to know that she is truly an angel. Anytime anyone came in contact with her they fell in love with her and felt a calm spirit within themselves. The boutique name AHLANNA’s is not just any name to us, it means so much, most people will not understand unless they knew the story behind her death. As difficult as it is, we would like to share with you our story, because not only do we want our business to become very successful on a business level, we would like to show you that Ahlanna’s has a heart and we can be personal as well. Heres our story:

GRAND RAPIDS -- Despite claims to the contrary, Latasha Tolbert does not believe Jeffery Holmes' contention that their daughter, Ahlanna Holmes, died in an accidental rage last November. Tolbert grieves daily the loss of her 4-month-old "angel" but does not question why God allowed the death, equating Holmes with the devil. Judge James Robert Redford ordered the 26-year-old Wyoming man to serve between 15 and 50 years for his guilty plea to second-degree murder.

Police said Ahlanna suffered massive head wounds while under the care of her father on Nov. 19. She was taken to Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital when she "hit the refrigerator," according to his statements to investigators.

Doctors believed otherwise and called police to report their suspicions of abuse. There were other injuries that pre-dated the fatal blow, doctors told authorities. Holmes was initially charged with manslaughter, an offense that alleges the suspect acted out of passion and before there was an amount of time to calm down. Prosecutors later amended the allegation to felony murder, upping the maximum penalty from 15 years to life and leading to the guilty plea. Redford said Ahlanna died as a direct result of the actions of Holmes.

"(She is) unquestionably a victim of anger and violence," the judge said.

That remains a difficult part of the death for Tolbert.

Holmes defense attorney, John L. Grace, said his client shows great remorse for what he caused. He argued the violence was an isolated incident and an impulsive reaction. (Nate Reens, Grand Rapids Press).

http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2010/09/jeffery_holmes_sentenced_for_k.html

ALLOW US TO RE-INTRODUCE OURSELVES.....

Ahlanna's was created in May of 2010 by a team of six women, Shateshia Tolbert, Taj Burgen, Kiyona Westbrook, Latasha Tolbert, Kanique Tolbert and Elicia LaGrone. With each woman being of a different age, shape, size and possessing there own distinct style, the creation of Ahlanna's came natural...

So what's a team without something that can easily represent them? For us it is our signature item CHARM BRACELETS. The Charm Bracelets allows us to reveal each of our individual styles by creating bracelets for women to match their own (style).

In June 2010 the team began to develop a plan to help women feel better in the clothes that they wore without "breaking the bank". One major part of this plan is the opening of our first, (hence the word first, meaning more to come...) Women's Boutique(spring 2011). Which will cater to women just like us, while providing them with the tips and tools needed to recognize their own personal style.

Finally Ladies...someone is at your service!!! "Ahlanna's, from your head to your toes and everything in between..."

Check for us.....