By Jess Boone
Many people in Lancaster don’t know about the city itself or any of the businesses that line the streets. This is a shame because of the large number of cute shops and novelty stores that inhabit downtown Lancaster. One of these shops is Mommalicious, located on Queen Street. Co-owned by friends Alicia and Debbie, Mommalicious sells a mix of antiques and unique, hand-made gifts, focusing on what Alicia calls the “eye for the imperfect.”
In recent years, Mommalicious has grown to be a successful part of the downtown Lancaster scene. However, success didn’t always come naturally. In 2004, the shop was just a pipe dream to Alicia, before her business teacher at Millersville University pushed her to pursue her goals. It was then that she drafted her first business plan. Alicia says she needed someone to push her, and she “needed to get uncomfortable.”
In this situation, getting uncomfortable was exactly what was needed. In May of 2005, she had a store on Prince Street and was living her dream. She was learning the ropes of business first-hand, and selling “old stuff”, the stuff she is passionate about. However, Alicia knew there was always room for improvement. Since opening, she had much success. But, as she told her husband, she was daring to dream a little bigger. Ideally, she wanted her shop to have apartments above it, so she and her family could live directly above her store. Like her teacher did before, this time it was her husband who pushed her to test the waters. She started looking for a new location, and by September of 2006, Mommalicious moved to its current location, Alicia’s dream location.
To some people, Mommalicious may seem like just another store in the blossoming city of Lancaster. But if you dig deeper, you will realize that Mommalicious is a perfect example of putting your mind to something to accomplish it. What may seem like a far off dream at one point, can easily become a reality with a little determination and drive.