Elinor Diamond of Eel & Ermine

Eel & Ermine is a great little shop in Laurel Heights that sells handmade, custom tailored clothing at amazingly reasonable prices. The year-old boutique is run by co-owners Evelyne Aikman and Elinor Diamond, two friends who decided to create the kind of store they would actually enjoy visiting.

The result is a highly personal yet totally comfortable shopping experience, complete with freshly baked snacks, mimosas, great music, and even dog treats for customers' furry shopping companions.

Personally, I've been gushing about Eel & Ermine to just about everyone I know since I discovered it last year, and I'm so happy that Elinor took the time this past weekend to answer a few questions for Became Today. But I do have to issue one caveat emptor: Once you get a stylish, simple, perfectly-tailored-to-your-body dress for less than $100 at Eel & Ermine, you may never be able to set foot in a Banana Republic again.

Some of my favorite highlights of this 3-minute video:

• How two women who typically "hate shopping" ended up running a clothing boutique
• How Eel & Ermine made the transition from Etsy to brick-and-mortar in a matter of weeks
• How a bit of healthy jealousy inspired these two art school alums to try their hand at entrepreneurship: "If they can run a business, then we can run a business!"

Enjoy!





P.S. A very special thank-you to my Mom and sister for the best birthday present ever: An Eel & Ermine gift certificate! And also a thank-you to B, who took over filming duties while I was busy spending said gift certificate.