The original ellie boutique debuted in November 2003, following a long year of conceptualizing, planning, and dreaming the store into existence.  College roommates, and best friends, Natalie Harris Gilbert and Kelly Langley Poole were making plans that far separated themselves from the degrees they received at Auburn University: Natalie’s in speech pathology and Kelly’s in business management.  While they worked in their trained fields for a time, they both had a passion for color, style, and clothing which would eventually lead them to creating ellie, named for the blending of both of their first names, and fashioned in a decidedly purple design.