Aleisha Hellman searched for a special rosary as a gift for her godson’s baptism. A lime-green, plastic, glow-in-the-dark rosary was all she could find shopping in the Christian bookstore. It was not at all the special gift she had envisioned her godson cherishing as he grew in his faith.
“I wish we had a Catholic store in town,” the Bismarck resident thought and then turned to ordering online—and so began her dream.
In recent years, Kevin Martian, owner of Mayo Pharmacy in Bismarck, has made space for beautiful Catholic gifts and the Rainbow Shop - Parable Christian Store carries some Catholics books and gifts, but Hellman’s dream persisted. It came to fruition this year with the idea of a pop-up boutique store in which she brings her store to Catholic events, offering items to inspire and nurture the Catholic faith.
“As I journeyed in my own faith,” Hellman said, “I discovered so many different things that helped draw me closer to Christ—that candle, that book, that rosary, that cute stationary and that special coffee mug.” Visual reminders, she explained, helped to deepen her relationship with Christ.
The desire to bring that to others deepened within her and after lots of prayer, discernment and nudging from the Holy Spirit, Hellman and her husband, Russ, opened “Beloved Pearl” Catholic boutique. Their first event was this summer, at Cathedral of the Holy Spirit’s Spirit Fest, celebrating their parish feast of Pentecost.
Beloved Pearl is a pop-up shop that comes to you—opening at events and venues for a short amount of time. There is also a website that allows people to shop online at BelovedPearl.net or to click on the “Dates & Locations” tab to see where they will be next.
“We want others to be able to walk through our space and at every turn to see something that might pique ‘holy curiosity,’” Hellman said. “We believe holy curiosity points you to God, draws you closer to Him to help deepen your relationship with Him.” Flipping through books, touching soft and fuzzy swaddling blankets for baptisms, scents of candles and beautiful images, she says, are all ways that can awaken the sense of your faith with their handpicked Catholic goods.
Their customers help to tell the story and confirm the dream. “I had one mom and her two sons who stopped while we were at Spirit Fest at Cathedral,” Hellman recalled. “Those little boys were looking at everything so curiously! Their mom told them they could each pick one item. The first little boy chose a rosary that had angels as the Our Father beads. He was so excited. His brother chose a St. Benedict doorknob hanger to help protect him he told me.”
Another customer, her seven-year-old niece, was pointed in the direction of fun stickers or earrings or a water bottle, but she was drawn to a small crucifix to hang in her room. “That is heartwarming!” Hellman said.
“It has been a fun process finding companies to work with as well,” Hellman explained. “One woman I reached out to about wholesale pricing was located in Alaska, but she had a connection to North Dakota—she went to college in Fargo. This has happened about three times with companies I have reached out to. To me it’s just another ‘God wink’—affirming Beloved Pearl is doing good things.”
If you would like Beloved Pearl to come to your event, contact them through their website at BelovedPearl.net or email Hellman at [email protected].