A New Life
Michelle Wells offers
fashion and friendliness at
Mariposa Consignments
BY REMY SISK
PHOTOS BY CHRISTIAN WATSON
n downtown New Albany’s eclectic cultural
landscape, Mariposa Consignments sits
nestled on Pearl Street between Market and
Main. A unique boutique, Mariposa offers
an extraordinary range of like-new, vintage and brand-new
fashions that vary from high-end to completely affordable.
The shop is owned by Michelle Wells, an experienced
Southern Indiana retailer and style icon. After a dynamic
career in fashion, Wells is more than content to be running
her own store, happily serving the residents of Kentuckiana.
“My grandmother was a seamstress. She always made our
clothes when we were kids, and I think that’s definitely part of
how I became interested in fashion,” Wells said.
Growing up, she was encouraged by her family to get a job
if she wanted to buy her own clothes (her first aspirational
purchase at 14 was a pair of Jordache jeans). So, she accepted
a position at a Paul Harris clothing store. From then on, Wells
was immersed in fashion and has spent three-quarters of her
life in the fashion and retail industry.
Several years ago while working as a manager for a furniture
store chain, Wells realized she wanted to do something that made
more of a difference in her local community. Consequently, she
merged her passions and began operating Hosparus’s Spring
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EXTOL : DECEMBER 2018/JANUARY 2019
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