Our Story

Short story is this: two entrepreneur's fell in love and had a business baby. But the full story? Well, grab a mug of something good, sit back and read on...

Meet Whitney, founder + owner of Bel Kai

On a trip to Paris in high school, Whitney walked into a sweet little boutique and imagined owning it - along with a little shop dog, a baby on her hip, and a loft apartment above. Years later, armed with a dream to help support her growing family and a desire to help other women and children, Bel Kai was born: a custom jewelry studio that celebrates life’s memories + meaningful moments. Passionate, determined, and largely self-taught, Whitney has been designing & directing at Bel Kai for 17 years.

Girl boss. Hashtag killing it.

Meet Luke, founder + owner of MudLOVE

A self-described artistineer, (Art.ist.neer (noun): a person too much in love with the process of making art efficiently to be a full-blown artist, but not smart enough to be a full-blown engineer), Luke was born and raised in Winona Lake, IN. Armed with nothing more than an old stamp set, a box of clay, and a plan to support clean water projects in Africa, Luke started MudLOVE in a small garage in the Fall of 2009.

Love + Marriage, Belove is Born

Luke and Whit first started hanging out to, you know, talk about business. And as they say, the rest is history. The two entrepreneurs soon fell in love and were married in 2013.

After they were married, Luke and Whit decided to merge their businesses. And so Bel Kai + MudLOVE became Belove.

Originally housed in the cozy garage where MudLOVE had its beginning, Belove set out to carry two flagship brands:  MudLOVE & Bel Kai.

Soon after, curated vintage finds, and other lovely giftable items from social good vendors were added to the selection.

In November of 2021, Belove moved into a larger space at 801 E. Canal St. in the Village at Winona, Winona Lake, Indiana.

Why give back?

Dreamers + doers, Luke and Whit believe that the motivation to do business shouldn’t be driven by creating a profit for personal gain, but instead for the well-being of others.

At Belove, 'a give back gift shop', our vision is to connect customers to the common interest of loving others and doing good in our community. We want to give our customers the opportunity to make a difference through a great product that gives back. Every MudLOVE product purchased gives a week of clean water to someone in need. In addition, 5% of each sale is being invested into our local community.