‘FULFILLING MY DREAM’: Posh & P owner opens boutique on Troy’s historic downtown Square
Published 3:00 am Friday, July 8, 2016
![Sarah Kelley (left) opened the Posh & P Boutique on June 21 alongside business partner Elizabeth Whitton (right). Kelley started the boutique online three years ago and Whitton joined as a partner a year later.](https://www.troymessenger.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2016/07/POSHP.OWNERS2.jpg)
Sarah Kelley (left) opened the Posh & P Boutique on June 21 alongside business partner Elizabeth Whitton (right). Kelley started the boutique online three years ago and Whitton joined as a partner a year later.
Posh & P founder Sarah Kelley has always had a passion for fashion. Running a boutique has been her dream since she was a little girl. But it was another career path that led her to where she is today.
Kelley’s family has lived in the Troy community for many generations, but she was born and raised in Vero Beach, Florida. She returned to Troy to pursue a degree in education at Troy University.
“I went into education because I always had an interest in making an impact on a child’s life,” Kelley said.
“I had some amazing teachers growing up and I wanted to have the same impact on my students as my teachers had on me. When I got [to Troy], I knew I was home.”
It was at Troy that she met her husband, Brock Kelley, who was also an education major. Kelley credited her husband as a major supporter of her boutique. “I kept discussing the possibility of teaching and opening an online boutique with my husband,” she said. “My husband challenged me to do it and supported my dream. If it weren’t for his push, I probably wouldn’t have ever chased my dream.”
Not able to find jobs with Troy City Schools at the time of graduation, the couple went down the road to work with Enterprise City Schools. It was there that Kelley started her online boutique.
“We started having trunk shows and parties at friends’ houses, which is how Posh Peach really began to grow,” Kelley said. “We sold strictly on Facebook, Instagram, and through friends. I knew I always wanted to open a storefront but never thought it was possible.”
After five years of teaching in Enterprise, the Kelleys got an opportunity to return to Troy when Brock was offered the assistant principal position at Charles Henderson High School. They took the offer and she was able to teach kindergarten at Troy Elementary for their first year back in the city.
![A display from Posh & P boutique including Posh & P’s specialty Troy shirts and matching accessories. The shirts are $26, with $5 of the proceeds going to Troy City Schools.](https://www.troymessenger.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2016/07/POSHP.TROY_.jpg)
A display from Posh & P boutique including Posh & P’s specialty Troy shirts and matching accessories. The shirts are $26, with $5 of the proceeds going to Troy City Schools.
Kelley didn’t begin looking to open a storefront until she found out she was pregnant earlier this year.
“I knew I wanted to stay at home with [the baby],” she said. “I began looking for possible locations in Troy to hopefully fulfill my dream of opening a store. This location became available and I knew I couldn’t pass this opportunity up.
“The corner of the Square has been great for us. We couldn’t have picked a better location.”
Kelley opened the storefront on June 21 and will have a grand opening and ribbon cutting on Aug. 19. Kelley said that everyone can find something at the store, but that college students are the main target. The purpose of Posh & P, she said, is to offer trendy clothing at affordable prices.
The store is located at 50 Court Square on the corner next to Perfectly Imperfect and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. It is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday.
Kelley’s business partner Elizabeth Whitton will continue to run the online boutique in Enterprise and Kelley said she hopes to open a storefront there as well.
Whitton is also an educator, teaching first grade at Hillcrest Elementary in Enterprise.
Whitton and Kelley met through their husbands, who coached baseball together. Kelley asked Whitton to model some clothes for her and it took off from there.
Kelley is expecting her baby boy to be born in October. She is naming him Mackinnon Pace, both longtime family names. McKinnon is Kelley’s maiden name and Pace was the last name of her great great grandfather Matthew Pace, the Pace half of Riddle-Pace Field at Troy University.