Around the time Nickie and Manne learned to tie their shoes, they became obsessed with Manolo's. At Florida State, they bonded over the fact their sorority sisters were always stealing their clothes. For both of them--moving to New York was a must, for the sake of their wardrobes if nothing else. They found an apartment in the East Village, but both found work in the fashion district.

Nickie, who started out designing handbags for a small company, went on to design women's apparel for Rebecca Taylor, learning how to spot trends and falling necklines years ahead of celebrity stylists.

Manne worked on the sales side at a multi-line showroom known as Findings, a firm representing lines such as Velvet, Burning Torch, and Trina Turk. She made enough connections to overwhelm a Palm Pilot, before moving on to launch a collection for contemporary designer Alex Gaines.

But though they loved being in the thick of the fashion world, their favorite past time remained the hours they spent scouring small stores for unique and wonderful treasures. It became all too clear--with their hard-earned knowledge and their passion for the fashionable and fabulous, they should open a boutique of their own.

Finally after getting their fill of snow, $20 martinis and crowded sidewalks-they decided to move from New York City back to Florida. They knew they wanted beaches, stylish neighbors, and sunshine… Tampa had all that and more, so it became the new home of penelope t.

As they dreamt of what would fill the hangers and shelves of their store, their minds flashed to the iconic Penelope Tree, a British model from the 1960's; a fashion risk taker with rebellious style. Manne and Nickie strove to emulate her by buying lesser-known designers and filling the store with truly unique and special pieces. It then came to pass that the store was fittingly named penelope t, in homage to its namesake.