Ormond Beach residents Melissa Frankel and Shea Williams like to support local businesses, but when it came to finding clothes for their kids, the women found there weren’t options to do so.
So, they decided to create one.
In September, Frankel and Williams launched Doss + The Girls, a kids’ and tweens’ clothing store. The name was inspired by their children — Williams’ son is named Doss and collectively, the two best friends have four daughters.
“It’s not just about clothing for us,” Frankel said. “It’s about creating connection. It’s giving families a local option, supporting women in business and building something that feels fun, meaningful and rooted right here in Ormond.”
The Doss + The Girls store is located inside Ormond Collective, a boutique located in the downtown at 58 W. Granada Blvd. that hosts over 30 local vendors.
Madi Williams, Shea Williams, Lou Lee Williams, Doss Williams, Adeline Frankel, Melissa Frankel and Marlowe Frankel. Courtesy photo
Frankel and Williams first got the idea earlier this year for their brand while spending an afternoon at the Oceanside Country Club pool with their kids. But after hearing that business owner Rayna Dunlop was opening Ormond Collective, Frankel said “it was all hands on deck.”
“That was our ‘OK, let’s do it. Let’s just jump in headfirst and do it,'” Frankel said.
On Thursday, Nov. 13, the women collaborated with Karen Holmay, owner of Elements of Design, for a pop-up at her store at One Daytona. It was a natural fit, Frankel said — three women business owners collaborating to bring a shopping experience for other moms and daughters.
“Last night reminded us why we love what we do — women supporting women, businesses lifting each other up, and choosing connection over competition,” Elements of Design stated on its Facebook page.
One of the most important aspects of Doss + The Girls, Frankel said, was teaching their kids to be young entrepreneurs. All of them — Doss, Madi, Lou Lee, Adeline and Marlowe — help their moms pick out pieces, prepare for events and unpack new clothing.
Shae Wlliams, Melissa Frankel and Karen Holmay during Doss + The Girls’ pop-up at Elements of Design at One Daytona. Courtesy photo
“This is an experience we’re doing with our children,” Franke said. “Our children are very much a par of this. There’s a picture of them in the store because this is not Shae’s and I’s store. This is our store with our children.”
Fashion also happens to be Frankel’s professional background. Before moving to Ormond Beach, she studied fashion, and worked for Fendi and Diane Von Furstenberg. In the past years, she’d grown frustrated at being unable to utilize her degree locally.
With Williams being the director of local modeling agency Michele & Group, they found they could bring a shared vision to life.
“We kept on thinking, ‘Why not us?'” Frankel said. “We wanted to create something that existed here and we thought we were the perfect people to do it.'”
