For two years Joleesa Holdipp ran her children’s clothing store Klassiq Kidz Boutique in her spare time while she worked a full-time job.

“I just started Klassiq Kidz in 2015 to earn a little bit of extra cash,” she said. “But the business grew into a passion.

“One day I literally woke up and thought, ’I want to do this full time’.”

She left her job at Office Solutions in June 2017 to devote herself fully to her business.

Since then it has been onward and upward for Klassiq Kidz. Last month she moved the store from an upstairs location on Court Street to a ground floor store, three doors along at 53 Court Street.

She has more visibility and space in the new location.

“We have increased to 750 sq ft of floor space,” she said. “It is not huge but it is definitely bigger than where we came from.”

And so far the move is working out.

“I have definitely been busy since opening in the new location,” she said. “Everyone seems to love it. They say it gives them US store vibes. A lot of people compare it to Children’s Place. That is their words."

She hears from a lot of parents who are desperate to find clothing for their children in Bermuda.

“A lot of people are unable to travel right now,” she said. “And children need clothes mostly every season."

She has an 11-year-old daughter, Kree. “I have always loved to dress her up cute,” Ms Holdipp said.

But she has found that as her daughter gets older it becomes more challenging to find clothing she likes.

“When she was younger it was different,” Ms Holdipp said. “But as she is growing older and she is on the way out of children’s clothing, some things are too juvenile for her.”

She said a lot of girls in her daughter’s age bracket are into oversized hoodies and unisex clothing, but her daughter is still girlie.

Ms Holdipp described the offerings at Klassiq Kidz as “fashionable and trendy”.

She said right now the trend is ultra girlie with lots of glitter, sequins and fur for young females. The boys are wearing hooded tops.

“Our hot sellers right now are our fur coats,” she said. “We also have a lot of bedroom decor that is going fast. We have little lounge pillows, dream catchers you can design yourself, and lap desks to match your room decor.”

When the lockdown hit Bermuda in March, she was glad she’d launched her business website in July 2019.

“It didn’t kick off like I wanted it to,” she said. “People were asking for an online shop but were still coming to the store and asking for items they had seen online. If you purchase it online it works the same way and you get it delivered.”

But during the lockdown the website was vital to staying connected with customers. When Bermuda started to open up again in May she was “flat out busy”.

“Coming out of lockdown everyone needed new clothes,” she said. “I had a little down time in September when school went back in because people were focused on school, but I have definitely been busy.”

What has surprised her about being in business is the support from the community.

“I definitely have a lot of people who want to support the business,” she said. “Some people have a certain stigma about Court Street. But at the same time I honestly don’t mind. Especially on a busy holiday, a lot of people don’t like to go right into town. We promise that our area right here is safe.”

They get customers from all over the island.

“It is mainly parents who come into the store,” she said. “Kids come sometimes, but not all the time. But I always encourage the kids, because the kids come and they go insane.”

She said boys are more difficult to cater to than girls.

Klassiq Kidz Boutique is open every day from now until Christmas.

• For more information call 295-5439 or see the store on Instagram and Facebook @klassiqkidz