TAMPA BAY – After hearing “no” from more than 15 boutiques, young designer Raquel Caramello walked into Coastal Sol in June carrying something she believed in: her handmade jewelry and coastal shell creations.
This time, the answer was different.
Missy Hardy, the owner of the Tarpon Springs store, immediately connected with Raquel, her story and her creations. Hardy especially loved Raquel’s hand-finished shell keepsakes, shell jewelry and bag charms.
She encouraged Raquel to continue developing that distinctive coastal niche.
Just months later, Raquel Beautiful has expanded to three additional boutiques throughout the Tampa Bay area, while Coastal Sol continues to carry the collection that first caught Hardy’s attention.
Supporting Raquel felt natural for Hardy.
“Because of my father’s involvement with Special Olympics, inclusion was simply part of how I grew up,” Hardy said. “When Raquel walked into Coastal Sol with her designs, I saw a young entrepreneur with creativity and determination. I knew I wanted to be part of what she was building.”
Raquel, who has Down syndrome, personally creates each piece in the collection. Her coastal keepsakes begin with scallop and oyster shells that are individually designed, decoupaged and hand-painted with gold edging before receiving a glossy resin finish.
Designs range from coastal landmarks and colorful patterns to personalized monograms, birth flowers and custom college designs. No two pieces are exactly alike.
Raquel also personalizes designs into her shell jewelry collection. Scallop shell necklaces can feature monograms, birth flowers and other custom imagery and are available on both chains and scarf-style necklaces.
“I like to create beautiful things that inspire people and remind them that they are uniquely beautiful, just like my creations,” Raquel said.
The collection reflects the broader message behind Raquel Beautiful: celebrating individuality while creating beautiful products people genuinely want to wear, display and give.
Hardy’s early encouragement also helped Raquel recognize which parts of her collection resonated most strongly with customers. After seeing Coastal Sol customers respond to the shells, shell jewelry and bag charms, Raquel began specializing further in those products and developing them into a larger luxury keepsake collection.
What began with one boutique owner willing to say yes after more than 15 others had said no has quickly become a growing retail brand.
More information
Learn more about the Raquel Beautiful collection at RaquelBeautiful.com.
