Ella’s

Our favorite Northern Michigan boutique. Excellent service and some great brands you can’t get anywhere on this side of the state. Definitely not for those looking to buy clothes on the cheap but the merchandise is worth every penny. Always makes our trip to TC much more enjoyable. If you like contemporary higher end clothes, stop in and pick up a few new favorites.

Lovely boutique! My friend bought a beautiful fur coat and the owner shipped it to her! Fantastic service!

The old store was more fun – it was smaller with more vintage (read: affordable) pieces and fun little doodads to admire. This section of the store has been reduced to a corner and the rest is basically a very upscale boutique. The clothing is beautiful but I can’t afford any of it. I once bought a youth sized t-​shirt here with the store logo on it though for like $ 20 and I do get a lot of wear out of that.
I also agree with another poster who said that the sales people follow you around. They do, they’re relentless. I think they’re paid on commission or something because they truly do pester you. If you just flash your Gap jeans and Forever21 shoes at them though they quickly recede.
Still fun to browse though.

Exemplifies quality products, quality service… just a plain wow!

Ella’s is a store that I want to love and that I try to love. I travel to Traverse City from Chicago pretty often and little would delight me more than supporting the local Michigan economy via this boutique. I adore the brands, the vintage inspired atmosphere and the trendy downtown location. So, what’s not to love? The service is never welcoming. I am the type of shopper that likes to browse, try things on and see for myself or show my husband before showing a random-​stranger/​sales person. At Ella’s, my buying experience is constantly interrupted. The sales associates pester me on the floor while I browse and then practically join me in the fitting room the minute I put on a garment. I don’t get to enjoy the experience.
Each trip back, I can’t resist another attempt but have yet to leave pleasantly surprised. Despite the disappointing service, I’ve scored a couple of great sale deals — like Frye sandals marked down 50% and then another 70% off of that and a fun up north inspired winter jacket… so, I do have positive memories. I encourage the staff to back off and let the shopping commence!

Ella’s is simply divine. A shopping oasis with a finely curated menu of the finest garments you might possibly find in all the land.
A mix of fine tailoring, classics, men’s, women’s, vintage, accessories, housewares, textiles, shoes, glitz, glam and absolute retail perfection.
At a price, of course. Ella is gorgeous, but she is not cheap. You’ve been forewarned, do not come looking for a deal or steal, but do come with elegant cuts and beautiful linees on the brain and you’ll leave a happy, happy customer. This is not the GT mall, you’ll feel like you are shopping on a fashionable street in Bohemia. Revel in it, but prepare your pocketbook!
I did manage to unearth a beautiful long green skirt with navy piping and exquisite details off the clearance rack (in the back!) for $ 50, as well as some lovely tights at half price, a lip balm and some handmade greeting cards (Ferdinand). But, the real surprise and splurge here was for my significant other’s 35^th birthday. He picked out shirts, pants, sweaters, tees… we basically outfitted him for the next year. He looked great in all the stuff, and though the selection looks small, there are many basics that are quite nice and very high quality. The Protégé pants in particular are really attractive… now, if I could just find him shoes that exist somewhere between «running/​athletic» and «boring work shoes» to complement them. Perhaps another day.
Helpful staff. Excellent location. Well-​stocked and curated selection. It’s worth a stop in, even if just to peek around. If you are in the mood for a splurge or just love to invest in glorious garments, this is your destination. Perhaps my favorite on all of Front Street.

After stopping in earlier this week to browse, I’m definitely a fan. Not sure if I can afford anything yet, but DEFINITELY a fan.
Beautifully laid out store that invites you to wander around and admire the gorgeous dresses, tops, jewelry and some housewares. There were several very, very pretty party dresses I would like to have.
But alas, this is a bit out of my budget at the moment.
So we’ll consider this a special occasion store and I’ll save up my pennies and come back.

Ella’s is a lovely boutique that I’ve always had fun browsing (and buying from), during my years as a Traverse City resident and now as a visitor.
I love everything: the clothes, the shoes, the jewelry, the carefully curated vintage pieces. They have gorgeous items for the vintage-​loving bride. The owner has a great eye, and I think it’s wonderful that she stocks locally designed creations alongside hip boutique brands like Paul and Joe, Frye, etc.
The staff is very warm, helpful and knowledgeable. And if you need something altered to make it perfect, there’s a really awesome (and affordable) alterations boutique right downstairs called Sew Unique.
Yes, many of the items at Ella’s are expensive, but the quality here is top notch and the vintage items are one of a kind. For someone with a small budget (like me), much of the clothing you’ll find here is the kind you save for, thoughtfully add to your wardrobe, and then treasure for a very, very long time.

I’ve lived in New York, Tel Aviv, and Atlanta, and never found a store in any of those urban centers I love as much Ella’s. Here’s why:
1. The quality of the clothing is amazing. Yes, it’s expensive, but in the 10+ years I have been shopping at Ella’s I have NEVER had a single item rip, tear, or fade. In fact, I’ve never even had a button fall off. I still regularly wear clothes I bought 10 years ago.
2. The style is amazing (both denim and otherwise). You have to go to the trendiest boutiques in the trendiest cities to find brands that Ella’s carries: Hype, Trina Turk, Paul and Joe, AG Jeans, to name just a few. Couple the clothes with the amazing accessories (vintage and new jewelry, shoes, scarves, outerwear, etc.) and you leave with a complete knock-​out ensemble.
3. The service is amazing. Not only do Ella’s staff treat you like a million bucks, they all have an eye for personal style. You walk in and within minutes they’re helping you put together an outfit right up your alley. And yes, they actually help you, not out of a drive for a commission, but out of a sincere love for great style.
4. They’re not pretentious. Sometimes you walk into these boutiques and feel completely unnoticed if you’re not dressed to the nines. Not so at Ella’s. Each shopper gets treated exactly the same way, and has an experience tailored to their specific needs.

*sigh* If you would have told me 5 years ago that I’d be giving Ella’s anything less than 5 stars, I would have been shocked. Alas…
I have been a faithful Ella’s shopper for… oh man, a long, long time. 10 years at least. They used to be in this tiny, tiny place and while they did have some pricey, vintage and vintage-​inspired clothes, they also had a substantial amount of real vintage, reasonably priced, *amazing* stuff. In particular, I recall that they always had once rack of adorable vintage blouses and none of them were over 30 bucks. I have an incredible lightweight black wool jacket from the 30s that is one of my all-​time favorite pieces and I can think of at least three other items that I bought years ago and still adore.
A few years ago or so they moved into a huge, beautiful space, still on Front Street. (Side note: I really wish they hadn’t gotten rid of their old logo. It was beautiful and what they have now looks like something from Photoshop 101.) Like I said, the space is beautiful and they did a great job on the interior design, but… man, I can just not afford anything in there anymore. And I pretty much literally mean that. The bountiful rack of under-​$ 30 blouses has been reduced to maybe 5 or so only «OK» items. Everything else is very expensive and a lot of it isn’t vintage – just the same stuff you see in a lot of these high-​end, plastic-​y, tourist-​trap «SoHo» boutiques that cater to women under a size 10.
Don’t get me wrong – a lot of the clothes are still beautiful and they do still have a formidable vintage section. Also, they sell Frye boots which I really, really love. I’m just disappointed to see the turn toward catering to tourists and townie yuppies with money.
Something else – the staff is stylish and nice, but *way* too pushy. I hate when people try to sell me things when I’m just looking around. Also when they make me feel bad for not buying anything.
I still have a place in my heart for Ella’s and I still go in every time I visit T.C. I also do recommend checking it out – it is very beautiful and worth looking at! I just wish I could afford to do more than look.

Ella’s is the only store in northern michigan that feeds my soul the way ella’s does. I rarely buy anything in there because of the price, but I dream of owning everything that they have! The new store is great, but for some reason I feel like the prices were better in their smaller one, maybe it’s just me but the sale section seemed to vanish. I have splurged on a few dresses from here, and they were well worth the pretty penny I paid for them… I constantly find myself wanting to put them back on, but control myself and realize I’ve got to change it up a bit!
If you’re looking for unique clothing and are sick and tired of hollister, abercrombie and american eagle (who could blame you) then check out ellas, you’re sure to find something you cant live without!

I’m giving it five stars, this is why– Hidden in this small northern Michigan town where one would be happy to buy a momento of clothing, this shop stocks items to be treasured every day. Instead of being satisfied to bring home a redundant vacation shirt, instead I spent maybe twenty dollars more for a skirt I have to keep myself from putting on every day. Maybe it doesn’t say Traverse City but my hemp wrap around skirt (which is not hippie at all) from Ella’s reminds me of the fabulous time I had there. This shop stocks hip, modest and diverse clothing, shoes and a comfortable atmosphere. I even picked up something for my man. Ella’s was a timeless, an unexpected treat on my journey from California to Michigan. Thanks!!!