ROBERTSDALE, Ala. — “A unique ladies shop and a little girl’s paradise”…is the slogan Judy Fountain uses to describe her boutique, Prissy Pots, located in the Greer’s Marketplace on State Highway 59 in Robertsdale.

Celebrating its grand opening, the quaint little store, with watermelon-themed walls of bright pink and green and featuring all varieties of handbags, apparel, jewelry, accessories, children and baby items along with dancewear, has seen a steady flow of business since opening its doors in mid-April.

“Everyone who has come in has been so nice and friendly, and I have really enjoyed being here and getting to know the people. I think it’s going to be a good fit for us,” said Fountain.

The store, named for Fountain’s granddaughter, Bailey Grace, now 16, and who Fountain referred to as a “prissy pot” when Bailey was younger, started out in Fairhope on a much smaller scale about five and a half years ago.

“We were located on the corner of Fairhope Avenue and Church Street in a little space inside the building where Papa’s Pizza used to be. We had no windows and no outside sign. We eventually moved to the side and had windows and business was pretty good, lots of tourists and foot traffic came through. But then we had a fire in November 2010, and it destroyed everything,” Fountain said.

Having no insurance and not able to salvage anything except a credit card machine and a pink cabinet, Fountain had a start over from scratch.

“The fire didn’t start in our part of the building but all our stuff was smoke and water damaged. I had just gone to market in Atlanta and purchased $5,000-6,000 worth of Christmas stuff, and it was all ruined. We tried to save it but couldn’t, and we were heartbroken. It was a very hard time for us because my husband had just lost his job and we were really struggling. But God was faithful and brought us through it and provided for our needs to reopen the store here in Robertsdale,” Fountain said.

Uable to find space affordable enough to rent and reopen in Fairhope, Fountain and her husband, Perry, who were high school sweethearts and have been married for 40 years, found the Robertsdale building, painted and found pieces here and there, and through very supportive friends gained other pieces to be able to open in April.

“My husband and my daughter and son were a huge help in getting the store ready. My daughter, Teasha, and granddaughter help me buy for and decorate the store, and it’s been so much fun getting things together. I love to shop and I have so many plans for the store,” she said.

A Mobile native, Fountain remembers coming to Fairhope as a child for picnics with her family and thinking how she would love to one day work and live there. “My mom was always really good at decorating and putting things together, and I guess I got my love for it from her. I started out as a wedding planner and floral designer at 19 and did many, many weddings and was in charge of decorating the Oakleigh mansion for Christmas for one year. It was fun but was a lot of work, too.”

During this time, Fountain and her husband bought and remodeled a bed and breakfast in downtown Mobile over a two-year period and loved it. But after a few years and one really cold winter in a old house with no insulation, the couple had to sell it. “We really hated to part with it because we had put so much work into it, but our gas bill was too high to be able to stay, and we were freezing to death so we knew it was time to go.”

Now living by Fish River in Fairhope gives Fountain a central location between work in Robertsdale and home in Fairhope. “it only takes me about 15 minutes to go to work, and it’s really convenient too.”

Still in the planning stages but hoping it will come together soon, Fountain wants to be able to carry more dancewear with all the dance schools around and also wants to be able to host bridal teas and little girls’ birthday parties.

“I grew up having tea parties and dressing up in big-girl clothes and want to be able to provide that for my customers too. I hope to have a section in the store just for that and have dress-up clothes for the little girls to put on when they come for the parties. It’s such a Southern tradition, and I want to carry it on,” Fountain said.

Another addition to the store for Fountain that makes it so fun is her 6-year-old white miniature maltese, Priscilla LeFleur. Outfitted in a pink and white polka-dot dress and a pink and white polka-dot hair bow, Prissy trots around the store welcoming customers and performing tricks for them.

“I got her when she was 7 weeks old and put her on a pillow in the front window and she stayed there all day. Customers would come in and pick her up and take her around the store as they looked around. I have even had customers go on vacation and bring her back outfits from different places. I put her clothes on everyday, and if I don’t, she gets upset, Fountain said laughing. “She has her own following, and the store wouldn’t be the store without her.”

Store hours are Monday-Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday; contact number is (251) 947-3778. Email is PrssyPotsGifts@yellowbooks.com. They also have a Facebook page.