Elly Bethune

Elly Bethune grew up in Columbia, Mo., but soon headed for the West Coast after high school graduation. She attended San Francisco State University, where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in journalism with an emphasis in fashion. 

 She returned home after graduation and opened Elly’s Couture with her now-husband, Clay, in October 2006. The boutique has been voted Best Boutique by the City of Columbia for six years running, since the local contest began.

 In November 2009, ellyscouture.com was born and gave the local boutique the exposure to ship and sell worldwide. In the spring of 2013, Elly and her husband launched a flash-sale site for handmade and independent designers called 9th & Elm. Elly is in charge of the fashion buying and styling of photo shoots for products and the blog.

 Elly has done freelance work for various publications, including Inside Columbia Magazine, Columbia Home Magazine, the Columbia Business Times, Missouri Life magazine, MidMoToday.com, and San Francisco’s X-press Magazine.

Elly and Clay welcomed their first daughter, Chase Constance, in January 2014. She is their biggest accomplishment to date.