Opening in 1991, Stella Nova’s owner Peter Evans credits the brand’s longevity and success to the same entrepreneurial lessons he learned at his first job as a paper boy for the Charleston Post and Courier and The Evening Post. His route from paper boy to successful entrepreneur has taken him from the photography studio to the salon/spa to the racetrack at Charleston Motorsports Club, and no matter how different the setting the same lessons have applied: value customer service by putting employees first, keep a close eye on the bottom line and be prepared to work hard.

Evans started his first business as an 11 year old, navigating his downtown Charleston paper route by bike wearing a newspaper bag that was heavier than he was. “You have to be up early and it doesn’t matter if it rains and the downtown roads are flooded, people expect their newspaper delivery,” shares Evans. “Sundays were particularly rough because the paper was large, but with a paper route, you are your own boss, you’ve got to be there, you’ve got to get it out and, in those days, you also had to collect the money.”

After graduating from high school at Porter Gaud, Peter’s education and entrepreneurial ambitions took him to Florida, North Carolina and Boston where he owned and operated diverse businesses: a photography agency, custom car stereo sales and installation, a solar energy business, real estate renovation and sales, restaurant manager, consultant, and several bars, and restaurants over the years. “When you start down a path, you never know where it leads and if you’re interested and open to learning, business ideas happen very naturally,” explains Evans.

In 1991, Evans decided to bring the beauty products he sought-out on his travels to hometown of Charleston. After a 5 month renovation, the first Stella Nova location opened at 292 King Street followed by a second location on Society Street in 1997. Peter laughs thinking about doing the Society Street renovations, “I was wearing a respirator mask that didn’t filter properly and I actually lost my sense of smell for 10 years!” At the time of the beauty boutique’s opening, King Street was a very different retail landscape and many people did not know what to make of the store with many coming in to inquire ‘what is this place?’ Stella Nova helped introduce luxury brand beauty products to residents and visitors while educating patrons. Stella Nova’s first customer was an oyster gatherer and clammer named Lawrence who Evans became friends with over the years. “He would bring us clams in a velvet bag and he was a big fan of our Farmer’s Friends hand salve,” says Peter.

The relationships with customers continued to grown as did the business. A Mt Pleasant location opened in Towne Center in 1999 with an expansion in 2002, and the West Ashley location opened in 2004. In 2006, Evans opened a Stella Nova Spa and Salon locataion in Summerville, in addition to a Rock Aveda concept salon on King Street, and an advanced educational training training center on Society Street

In 2019, Peter brought the Stella Nova brand and ethos back to downtown Charleston with a location opening in The Cigar Factory on East Bay Street.

The Stella Nova stylists and beauty experts are Evans top priority. “Making the customers happy is key to longevity and I’m keenly aware that it is my team that makes our customers happy,” says Peter. “They are on the front lines of customer service and it is my goal to create an atmosphere of respect and harmony where they are happy to come to work and practice their artistry.”

In 2016, as Stella Nova celebrated their 25 year milestone, Evans’ commitment to community, with over over $25k donated to local charities, was recognized at the Luxury Brand Partners Front Row event in Miami.

Evans and Laran D’Eustachio, who have worked together as owner (Evans) and Managing Director (D’Eustachio) at Stella Nova for over 27 years, opened Barrelli Barber in downtown Charleston’s historic Cigar Factory in June 2017, offering “Proper Grooming for Gentlemen”. They were inspired by their experience as parents of sons and their beauty service and retail expertise to provide service and products designed with men in mind. In addition to the barbershop, Barrelli Barber has a men’s grooming line available for sale at the barbershop and the Barrelli Barber website. Barrelli Barber is now open in 4 locations: Downtown Charleston, Park Circle in North Charleston, Mt Pleasant, and in Downtown Summerville.

Evans continues to take on new projects acquiring Charleston Motorsports Club in 2014. And no matter how heavy the bag gets or how much the terrain changes, Evans does a great job of keeping the bike riding steady.

In 2018, Evans donated an old Civil War property to the City of Charleston to create a waterfront park on the Stono River so that people of all generations will have access to the beauty of our Charleston waterfront.