SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – A young entrepreneur and college student opened her own clothing store in Downtown Santa Barbara this weekend.
Athena Wang created the fashion brand Watermelon Apparel last year to promote body positivity.
Her line sells cozy comfort clothes like oversized T-shirts and sweatshirts.
After her online sales took off, the 20-year-old decided to open her own storefront this summer at the Paseo Nuevo Shopping Center.
“I just really want to create this community of gathering again through my shop, and then just like girls are hanging out here, we serve sparkling water around and we want to create this sense of community, use this store as a platform,” said Wang.
Wang runs the store with four other UCSB students.
To celebrate its opening weekend, Wang said the first 50 customers to come to her store will receive a 25% discount on their items.
Watermelon Apparel is located at 317 Paseo Nuevo in Santa Barbara and is open every day from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. You can shop online at www.watermelon-apparel.com.