1940s-Inspired 'All Gussied Up on Main' Opens in Nazareth

If summer is the perfect time to launch a beach-themed new business, then Kelly Pettis-Brush and Megan Everett are right in style and season with their All Gussied Up on Main in Nazareth.

The co-owners will celebrate summertime at their new 139 S. Main St. boutique tonight -- Friday, June 22 -- by hosting a ribbon-cutting at 5 p.m. with  members and area leaders.  

Beginning Saturday, they’ll welcome the public. Male and female customers can head in for spray tanning, airbrush makeup application, permanent makeup and teeth whitening, and to browse the boutique that features many of the delights of summer fun.

But the partners and longtime friends have incorporated a unique vintage-inspired twist to their shop with its tin ceiling, antique furniture, art objects and memorabilia that sets a relaxed, retro seaside stage, complete with a juice bar and lounge.

“We wanted a 1940s beach theme,” Everett said while pointing to a spiral rack of women’s bathing suits that feature designer lines, including Despi, L-Space, Heidi Fish and the Australian made suits of Bombshell Bay, an upscale look hinting at the style and pizzazz of the '40s.

Trendy sunglasses, tote bags from a designer who uses recycled materials, CocoBelle beaded bracelets, earrings by local designer Carly Bartosh, and accessories, including waist enhancing belts from India, all mesh with some funky, fun-named soaps (Raw Chocolate Rascal, Nurse Soap, Filthy Bridesmaid) handmade in Hawaii under the Filthy Farm Girl brand. Natural makeup products by Besame, developed from recipes used in the late 1930s, include scented rouge and mascara. Pettis-Brush notes that they are the only business in Pennsylvania to retail Besame.

“We’re excited to support smaller businesses,” and particularly those initiated by women, said Everett, 29, who hails from Colorado, studied international relations at and stayed in the Lehigh Valley after graduation.

She and Pettis-Brush, 34, a Roseto native and and Seton Hall graduate with a master’s in communication and leadership, met as students at , where Pettis-Brush now teaches speech.

While friendship and communication never “skipped a beat” over the years, it wasn’t until early spring of 2012 that Pettis-Brush contacted Everett with an idea for a permanent location for her spray-tanning part-time business.

The opportunity, ideas and shared inspiration of the “strength of women” of the 1940s as homemakers, housewives, mainstream workforce and even baseball team players clicked and a retro-style theme was brainstormed. With it came the “Un-Housewives Club,” Thursday night gatherings at the boutique. “Margaritas and Makeovers” is scheduled for June 28. Ladies can also expect “Fondue and Champagne” night and other events.

“We’ve had a lot of support from friends and family,” the duo emphasizes as the grand opening weekend approaches.

All Gussied Up on Main is open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday; 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Monday and Tuesday are by appointment only.

For more information, visit www.allgussieduponmain.com.