FALL RIVER — She was newly married, a kid really, when her mother-in-law saw an open space and an unfilled need in the Flint, Nelly Silva said.

“My in laws both had stores here in the Flint,” she said. “He had a men’s store. She had a woman’s store.

“When a space opened up, my mother-in-law told me I should take it. No one was selling children’s clothes here.

“So I did.”

Now some of the children she fitted with jackets and sweaters when she first opened are bringing their grandchildren to her store.

“I’ve had people bring in great-grandchildren,” she said “I tell them they can’t be old enough because I’m not that told.”

But 40 years, she admits, is a long time.

Nelly’s, 1376 Pleasant St., opened in March of 1979, offering children’s clothing to the families in the Flint who would walk up and down Pleasant Street for their shopping on Friday nights and Saturday afternoons.

“I’ve seen it all in the Flint,” Silva said. “When I started, there were no empty storefronts. There were a lot of people out on the sidewalks. We were busy then.”

She started in a smaller store, but expanded when she moved to her current location, next door to Gilbert’s Jewelers.

The business has shifted, too. She specializes now in gowns for first communion and baptism and first communion suits for boys. She also carries accessories for the sacraments, shoes for children, jewelry and Portuguese gold and, most recently, women’s clothing.

“Women are taking over a lot of my store,” Silva said.

The way of the business is changing, too, she said.

“Back in our day, we didn’t pick our first communion dress,” she said. “Our mother did.

“Now, kids pick. The girls want the princess look. They want the poufy dress with pearls and lace and sequins.

“Of course, the boys still don’t care. The boys want to try on a suit and go home.”

The store has been good to her, Silva said. She supported herself, even after she became single again. Her children worked with her and left to do well. They are both doctors: Kyle Silva has a specialty in pain management, Kendra Maher in podiatry.

Customers from a generation ago stop by just to visit and talk.

“I grew up in the Flint,” Silva said. “It is tough to see how much it has changed.

“I wish we could bring Fall River back to what it used to be. We are all praying so it can happen.

“I’ve often thought I’d sell or do something else, but I’ve lasted, Thank God.

“I’m going to stay here. I’m not going anywhere.”

Email Kevin P. O’Connor at koconnor@heraldnews.com.