IN THIS ISSUE · SPRING 2026 — Read the cover story
Some businesses are built around products.
Others are built around people.
For Lindsey Armes, owner of Pretty Clothes Shoppe in Crossville, Tennessee, what started as a simple search for affordable clothing became something much bigger. Today, her boutique serves as a place where women find confidence, encouragement, and community.
While shoppers may first walk through the doors looking for clothing, many leave with something far more meaningful.
For Armes, that has been the mission from the very beginning.
Long before opening Pretty Clothes Shoppe, Lindsey Armes was learning valuable lessons about business from her family.
Her father owned a successful contracting company for more than three decades and was among the first contractors in the region to specialize in remodeling homes, decks, and docks. Watching him work gave her an early understanding of entrepreneurship, customer service, and dedication.
When she eventually launched her own business, he offered one piece of advice she has never forgotten.
“Always thank your customers,” he told her. “Truly be thankful for them.”
Today, that principle remains at the heart of everything she does.
Her mother also played an important role in shaping the future vision of Pretty Clothes Shoppe.
“We were not the family that could take off to the mall every Saturday,” Armes recalls. “I was aware at a young age that we were on a budget.”
Yet despite financial limitations, her mother always found ways to look stylish and put together.
Yard sales, thrift stores, and clearance racks became opportunities to discover hidden treasures.
“She always loved the hunt of a good deal,” Armes says. “And she always looked good.”
That lesson stayed with her. Looking beautiful and feeling confident should not require spending a fortune.
The idea for Pretty Clothes Shoppe did not begin with a formal business plan.
It began with a gift.
At the time, Armes was teaching school and helping support her family while her husband worked on the road. Like many women, she rarely spent money on herself.
One day, her mother handed her $100 and encouraged her to buy something she wanted.
Armes headed to the mall but quickly realized that $100 would not go very far. Frustrated, she returned home empty-handed.
The next day, she decided to stop by a Goodwill store in Cookeville.
What happened next would change the course of her life.
Instead of finding a single Easter dress, she found four dresses, shirts for her husband, several decorative items she loved, and still had money left over.
“I came home and hung the dresses up,” she says. “And I just looked at them. I felt like a new person.”
The experience sparked a realization.
“I thought, I cannot be the only one that feels this way.”
That night, she decided to open a consignment shop.
The decision happened quickly.
Within a day, Armes was reaching out to people and searching for a space where she could launch her idea during the summer months.
Then something unexpected happened.
A woman she knew offered her a building free of charge.
The space was far from perfect. There were no dressing rooms. Parking was limited. At one point, the bathroom flooded.
Still, Armes saw opportunity rather than obstacles.
The opening felt like confirmation that she was on the right path.
Looking back, she believes faith played a significant role in every step.
“I said, ‘God, I’m putting this whole shop in your hands,'” she recalls. “And it was the easiest thing I’ve ever done.”
That trust became the foundation of the business she would continue building for years to come.
Today, Pretty Clothes Shoppe has become one of Crossville’s most recognizable boutiques.
Yet Armes insists the store is about much more than fashion.
At its core, the mission is helping women feel seen, appreciated, and confident during every stage of life.
That mission inspired the creation of Lotta Love, a program designed to provide clothing and support to women navigating difficult transitions.
Some participants are recovering from addiction. Others are preparing for job interviews. Some are adjusting to life after having children. Others simply need encouragement after years of putting everyone else first.
Armes understands their stories because she has spent years observing the sacrifices women make.
“A lot of Lotta Love came from being in the classroom and watching moms and what they do for their kids,” she says.
One particular experience remains unforgettable.
A mother came into the shop searching for clothing for her daughter. Throughout the visit, she focused entirely on her child and ignored her own needs.
Armes encouraged her to try on a dress she admired.
“When she came out,” Armes recalls, “the way that daughter looked at her, that was it.”
The mother purchased clothing for her daughter.
Armes gifted the dress to the mother.
Those moments continue to fuel her passion.
“The ones that really hit home for me,” she says, “is when the daughter sees the mom differently.”
Over the years, Pretty Clothes Shoppe has evolved into much more than a retail store.
It has become a gathering place where women can connect, learn, and support one another.
Armes regularly hosts women’s workshops, Bible studies, and community events. She also created Threads for Tutors, an initiative that transforms donated books into educational opportunities for local students.
Books donated to the program are sold through the shop, with proceeds used to pay certified teachers who provide tutoring services for children in the community.
Every dollar goes directly toward helping students succeed.
She is quick to acknowledge that none of it happens alone.
“They work incredibly hard,” Armes says of her staff. “They love people, they care deeply about what we’re doing here, and they’re a huge part of what makes this place special.”
For Lindsey Armes, faith is not separate from business.
It is woven into every part of it.
“It should go hand in hand,” she says. “It’s the same.”
That perspective shapes the atmosphere customers experience when they walk through the doors.
Some visitors come looking for clothing.
Others come seeking advice, encouragement, prayer, or simply a place where they feel welcome.
Over time, Pretty Clothes Shoppe has become known as a place where women can breathe, regroup, and remember who they are.
That trust has become one of the store’s greatest strengths.
As her vision continues to grow, Armes is expanding her efforts to help women feel their best both inside and out.
Through Well Dressed, she offers personal style consultations and color analysis services designed to help women better understand what works for them.
She is also preparing to open exhale, a new day spa in downtown Crossville focused on rest, renewal, and self-care.
Like Pretty Clothes Shoppe, the goal is simple.
Create spaces where women can pause, recharge, and feel valued.
At its heart, the story of Pretty Clothes Shoppe is not about clothing.
It is about people.
It is about helping women rediscover confidence, embrace their worth, and find community along the way.
In a world where many women spend their lives caring for everyone around them, Lindsey Armes has created a place that gently reminds them they matter too.
That commitment has made Pretty Clothes Shoppe more than a boutique.
It has made it a place where women are seen.
Written by Melissa Ellis
Feature Photography by Olivia Merritt
Additional Photography by Amanda McGinnis
Add your business, share an event, or see what else is happening around town.
