SOLON, Ohio -- Alice Melsher loves beautiful things. Her store, UpScaleIT, which opened its doors in Solon on Monday, provides beautiful, affordable clothing and accessories to local women at a convenient location. That's something they hadn't had before.

"The women of Solon and neighboring cities deserve better," said Melsher. "Until now, we had virtually no retail for women here. We're so busy investing in our kids and our jobs—we shouldn't have to drive far to find the quality clothing we want."

Melsher began selling clothes 15 years ago on eBay, after leaving her career as a divorce attorney to stay at home with her first child. To occupy her free time, she cleaned out her closet and starting holding online auctions for the items.

"I became enthralled with learning what would sell, what wouldn't and what women really wanted in fashion," Melsher recalled.

She began buying from suppliers and reselling the items, running hundreds of auctions at a time. People who knew about her sales activities asked if they could "shop" in her basement, where she stored the clothes.

"They were dying to get in to see what I had in stock," Melsher said. "That's when I decided to open a retail store."

UpScaleIT offers a mixture of new and nearly new items, in sizes ranging from juniors to 5X. The new items include special pieces, such as her current stock of swimsuits, that Melsher has gotten at a great price from suppliers.

Consignors can bring their gently used, in-style and in-season items to the store without an appointment during its business hours Monday through Thursday. (More detailed consignment instructions are available on the store's website.) Melsher selects the items she believes will sell; when they are purchased, the consignors receive 40 percent of the sale price. With brands ranging from Ann Taylor to Louis Vuitton, pieces in the store cost anywhere from $5 to thousands of dollars. The more expensive items go through an authentication process so customers know they're getting the real thing.

Melsher selected the Solon Square location because she wanted to open her business in the city where she and her husband, Chip, are raising their three sons. She plans to connect with the community in many ways, such as partnering with the high school around prom time and donating items to the PTA's Budget Bin fundraiser each fall and spring.

In addition to what UpScaleIT will do for the community, Melsher is proud that her store is helping the environment. "We're upcycling clothes, so we're eco-friendly on top of all our other benefits."

UpScaleIT is located at 33533 Aurora Road. Its hours of operation are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Its website (upscaleit.wix.com/solon) and its Facebook page (facebook.com/upscaleit) have detailed information about the store as well as photos of items available for purchase.