Bella Mia Boutique

Upon walking into Bella Mia Boutique in Champaign, it appears to be a high-end boutique located somewhere in SoHo, oozing refined taste and originality.
But the owner, Carmen Kirby, is extremely connected to Champaign, Urbana. Kirby’s two daughters, Kalie and Mckenzie, graduated from Urbana High School in 2011, and Kirby often donates to the school, featuring Bella in countless advertisements for UHS and giving back to the community.
The store is filled with classy home décor, including chandeliers, candles, pillows, paintings, and glass perfume bottles. The vintage finds include lovely chairs, cushions, beds, and tables. The store also features a fair share of high quality jewelry and fashion labels such as Splendid, Ella Moss, and Michael Stars.
Kirby selects many of these leading brands to feature in the store, as well as hiring within her family. Kirby’s nephew Glynn Davis has been working part-time at Bella Mia since August 2012, and reveals that his favorite part of the job is the extraordinary setting in his workplace.
“The atmosphere is a unique one—we sell high-end clothing without the snooty high-end attitude. And the furniture department adds a lot of personality to our store that people really appreciate.”
Davis is the official photographer for Bella Mia, and often shoots photos for advertisements and emails, as well as creating flyers for the store in Photoshop.
Davis explains, “It’s cool to photograph models wearing our clothes and see how each one personalizes our items. I also like documenting all the furniture that moves through our store, each piece more interesting than the last!”
Anna Longworth–a devoted Bella Mia buyer–can attest to the furniture being interesting. She recently purchased a vintage chair to use as a prop for her photography business, and it not only functions for her photo shoots, but works as a conversational piece for her clients. She also purchased a vintage vanity, which sits front and center in her bedroom.
Longworth says, “When I first walked into Bella, my eyes were instantly drawn to a yellow vintage vanity, and I figured it would be out of my budget, but it was actually reasonably priced! Then I saw a vintage green chair that would look perfect with it. I’ve owned them for about two months now, and I couldn’t be happier with these pieces. I definitely recommend Bella!”
Check out Bella Mia Boutique on 1422 South Neil if you are looking for furniture, clothing, jewelry, home accessories, or vintage finds. They offer a wide range of great quality items and often have sales!