Barefoot Princess

Barefoot Princess is a women’s and girls’ fashion boutique tucked into Alys Beach’s Town Center, where sophisticated resort style meets a distinctly beach-inspired attitude. The shop is locally owned and operated by the Tidwell family, who ran a Barefoot Princess in nearby WaterColor for more than fifteen years before opening the Alys Beach location, which marked its third anniversary in the community in February 2025. That kind of longevity is rare for a boutique on 30A, and it shows in a buying strategy built on brands that have proven themselves with repeat customers rather than passing trends.

The racks lean into exactly the blend the name promises: polished pieces that still feel like vacation. Barefoot Princess carries one of the largest Lilly Pulitzer selections on the Gulf Coast, alongside Sail to Sable, Trina Turk, Spartina, White + Warren, Vilebrequin, Holly Shae, L’Agence, Positano, Sunshine ’79, Summer Away, and Lusana. Accessories get equal attention, with Julie Vos and Susan Shaw jewelry, Isla and Payal pieces, Agua Bendita swim, and Peter Millar’s women’s line filling out the case near the register, plus a well-edited hat wall for anyone who left home without proper sun protection. Girls’ sizes bring the same sensibility down a generation, with dresses, bows, and jewelry scaled for younger shoppers, so mothers and daughters can both walk out with something that matches the trip. For the men and boys in the family, the Tidwells run a sister shop, Tidwell & Son, so a Barefoot Princess visit can turn into wardrobe stop for the whole group.

Atmosphere matters as much as inventory here. The shop reads as a chic, upscale retail stop that still carries the relaxed confidence of the surrounding beach town, an easy match for Alys Beach’s white stucco courtyards and quiet, walkable Town Center streets just off Scenic Highway 30A. The Tidwells lean into that community feel with in-store events, including a Galentine’s Sip and Shop that marked the store’s third anniversary in February 2025 and featured pop-up vendors, flower-arranging with a local florist, and jewelry-making stations, all free and open to the public. It is the kind of programming that turns a boutique into a regular stop for both vacationers passing through and the second-home owners who return to Alys Beach year after year.

Barefoot Princess is open daily from 10 AM to 7 PM at 67 North Somerset Street, Suite R101, an easy walk from the town’s other boutiques and its beachfront amenities. Call 850-641-0400 ahead of a visit if a specific brand or size is the goal, since the shop’s curated approach means it stocks depth in favorites rather than a little of everything.

The location itself is part of the appeal. Alys Beach’s Town Center groups its boutiques within a few short blocks, so a stop at Barefoot Princess pairs easily with browsing at Parasol, SummerStory, or Alys Shoppe on the same walk, before continuing on toward the Beach Club or one of the courtyard restaurants nearby. Most visitors arrive on foot or by bike from a nearby rental home rather than by car, in keeping with the New Urbanist design that shaped the whole town around walking rather than driving between stops. For a boutique with fifteen-plus years of history behind it and a genuine local family still running the register, Barefoot Princess earns its spot as a regular stop for repeat visitors to 30A, not just a one-time souvenir run. For visitors building a 30A wardrobe around one boutique, or parents hoping to outfit daughters in something that will actually get worn again after vacation, Barefoot Princess is one of the more dependable stops in Alys Beach.