Julee Evans always wanted to own her own store.  She grew up playing store with her friends, pricing everything in her bedroom and having a "play" shoe store called "Shoes Are Fun".  Later to become the manager for Nine West Specialty in the mid 90's.   In the 6th grade Julee took a sewing class with her school friend Jennifer- and made a Brooke Shields Blouse.  Julee continued to sew and on to work for Meg's Custom Swimwear in Virginia Beach from age 13 through High School. In 1991 she came to Richmond and attended VCU receiving a B.S. in Marketing.  Many retail jobs followed including: The Limited, Hecht's, A Pea in the Pod, Nine West and Frances Kahn.  In 1999 Julee became a sales rep for Kelly's Kids, had her first child Brooke in 2001 and then Ryan in 2004.  In late 2004 the first Sample and Consignment sale was held in empty office space her husband had off of Staplesmill and Hermitage. Then in the spring with Ryan in a pack-and-play and Brooke at pre-school a Spring Sale was held for 2 months in the Beverley HIlls Shopping Center at the corner of Patterson and Parham.  The next several years the sale was held out of her Basement in Hanover.  In March of 2009 with both kids in school Julee opened a small space in The Old Glen Allen Shops on Mountain Rd in Glen Allen. Hours were limited to the kids schedule and only open 9:30 - 2 and by appointment.   As they grew out of that space in September of 2010 Elephants and Giraffes launched officially and they moved to their current space in the Westbury Pharmacy Shopping Center.