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Kelley Anne Steinman “I had everybody, even my sisters,
telling me, ‘you’re crazy’” Forever the optimist, Alberto said he and Armando committed to
making the St. George location a reality.
Kelley Anne Steinman, Owner, KellEY Anne’s “If we don’t jump on the bus now, as it’s passing through, we
might not have the chance to catch it again,” Alberto said.
find merchandise they can’t buy at the chains, Steinman said. Her But opening a restaurant – one of the most restricted industries
inventory, for example, comes straight from designers and sellers she during the height of the pandemic – presented many challenges.
has known since she was a girl growing up in her mother’s boutique First, when they opened their doors in September 2020, they
in Tryon, N.C. couldn’t have indoor dining. Armando’s Restaurant in St. George
opened as takeout only for its first two months. Second, just
It was her mother, P.J. Steinman, who taught Kelley Anne to lean getting the supplies needed to operate the restaurant proved
on her faith in the face of adversity and put her courage behind difficult because shipping had been delayed. None of that
everything she does. bothered Alberto and his brother.
“Of course it’s scary,” she said. “But my mother always taught me, “To be honest, we never had second thoughts,” he said.
you let the good Lord guide you and you really have to believe whole After a couple of months serving takeout only, the Valdivias
heartedly in what you’re doing, and when you do, there really isn’t could open the patio. Months later, they could open fully,
much room for failure.” complete with a new menu, fresh specials, and plenty of hungry
Steinman admits she was terrified, not just because of the people ready to eat.
pandemic’s impacts on small businesses, but also because she funded “The community has really supported us, and we are happy to
the entire operation herself. She was convinced the store would be in St. George,” Alberto said.
work in her adopted home of Santee because she believed women
in the area needed a specialty boutique to fit their lifestyles without
having to drive to a big city to find it. Couple that with the exceptional
customer service for which she strives and, “It’s a different experience
than what you will find anywhere else,” Steinman said.

New Businesses Open

Succeed in Tough Times

by Michael Hall
K elley Anne Steinman knew there were people who thought the pandemic, brothers Alberto and Armando Valdivia, owners of
Whereas KellEY Anne’s opened something brand new during
she was crazy to open a boutique clothing store amid the
restrictions and dangers presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Steinman didn’t really care. She is a woman of strong faith and Armando’s Mexican Restaurant, saw an opportunity to expand.

“We looked at the town of St. George a couple of years ago,”
determination and she had a dream. Alberto Valdivia said. “There was something about it. It could be a
KellEY Anne’s, a specialty boutique for women, opened in Santee great location. It would make a great restaurant.”
in October and is thriving. Steinman’s shop is one of a handful of Both men had identified a location two years ago in St. George
businesses in the Tri-County Region that pushed through the challenges where they hoped to open a second location of their popular Santee
presented by an unprecedented time and opened their doors or Mexican restaurant. The only thing standing in the way was that the
expanded regardless of the situation. building was occupied. When that business closed, the Valdivias had
“I’m very blessed,” Steinman said. “It has done very well, despite their chance.
these times.” “When the pandemic hit, the space became available, and I said,
She said the community embraced her shop and stood behind it ‘oh my God, I’ve been waiting for that for two years and now it’s at our Alberto Valdivia
from the beginning. Shopping at locally owned stores is where people door and we’re in the middle of a pandemic,” Alberto said.

Tri-County Regional Chamber of Commerce • (843) 563-8187 • tri-crcc.com 29
Small Business Pandemic