If Shelby Pritchett’s two grandfathers were still alive, she knows where they would likely be most days – sitting outside on Fifth Street South across from The Princess trying to get anyone who walked by to shop in their granddaughter’s boutique.
That’s why Pritchett named her store, Allen Dales, after her grandfathers.
“My two grandpas – one was named Joe Allen and the other was named Jimmy Dale – they were the two most hard working men you could ever find around,” Pritchett said. “… I know they would’ve been so proud. They would’ve been up here working. I wouldn’t have had to look for employees. I thought what better way to honor them than to name the store after them.”
As a mother of three, a business owner and an emergency room nurse, Pritchett inherited the hardworking ways of her grandfathers, and their spirit lives on in her. When she graduated from Mississippi University for Women in May 2016, she had a job at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle within a month.
She said she loves to help people, and as a nurse and men’s fashion boutique owner, she can do that in different ways.
“Thankfully my boss at the ER is very understanding, and I get to work (at the store) on my off days,” Pritchett said. “It’s chaotic, to say the least, but it’s very rewarding. I still get to give to the community in a different way. With the store, I get to talk to people who choose to come in. In the ER, I get to help people in their most vulnerable state.”
Pritchett and her husband Blake have three children – two girls, Charlie Kate, 5, Arlie Jane, 4, and one boy, Dax, 2. When Pritchett had her son she noticed a distinct lack of options for boys’ clothing and decided to tackle that head on.
After making and selling her own candles since 2019, some nudging from her husband led Pritchett to start Allen Dales in 2021, which has evolved from its online beginnings to a brick-and-mortar storefront.
She eventually landed the storefront she’s now in at Stone’s Throw, which has its own significance to her.
“What’s ironic is that my grandpa’s full name was Joe Allen Stone,” Pritchett said. “We moved over here to the old Stone Hotel, and I had no idea it was called that until we moved in. I called my mom, FaceTimed her, and showed her and my family the name. Their jaws just dropped. They said, ‘This is weird, but I guess it’s meant to be.’”
The Pritchetts live in Hamilton, and their children attend school in Aberdeen. Working in Columbus, Shelby makes every effort to be involved in all three communities.
“The season of life we’re in right now is so crazy, busy, chaotic, all the words, but without the help of Blake and family, I don’t know if we could survive without them,” Pritchett said. “… We try to help each community we’re involved in. We try and spread the support where we can. Everywhere we are – Hamilton, Aberdeen, Columbus – we have such tight-knit friends and family, we couldn’t make it without them.”
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You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 33 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
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