Finding girls' tennis clothes used to be a frustrating experience - that is, before "Tennis Menace" came into existence.

Pinecrest resident Shelley Hallen and Coral Oaks Tennis Teaching Pro Natalia Schull began their company only one year ago, after an introduction by Shelley's daughter Alix.

"She's a really great coach, Mom, you'll love her," Alix Hallen told her Mom.

During one of their early conversations, Shelley complained to Natalia that 'she couldn't find her daughter tennis clothes, anywhere."

Could there be such a shortage of girls' tennis wear? Shelley and Natalia searched all the major stores and only found a few pieces made by a single company. And the appliques were glued, not sewn on.

So - a true niche was established, right here in Miami. Shelley and Natalia decided to try their hand at designing and marketing a girls' line of tennis clothing; boys seemed content to wear pretty much anything on the courts.

The next issue was creating a name and logo for the line. They tried to combine their names - but nothing sounded right. They played around with other ideas and researched names. The lightbulb went off after Shelley took her kids to see a Dennis the Menace movie. The company's name, Tennis Menace, was formed.

The Tennis Menace duo held on art contest at FIU, University of Miami and at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale to see if a budding young artist could come up with a logo. Sure enough, a nineteen-year-old from the Art Institute won the contest.

The next challenge? Finding a manufacturer who would sew less than 10,000 pieces at a time. Shelley and Natalia sketched the designs themselves and went to jobbers to buy fabric remnants, ribbons and thread. They carried bolts of material, thread, supplies, elastic and trim around Miami in their cars, taking them to the sewers by themselves.

"Everyone was so kind; they really wanted to help us out," the two entrepreneurs explained in an interview. They kept saying: "Girls, you're gonna make it!"

According to Natalia, their first dress looked like a "disco roller skating outfit."

In an effort to create the best product, Shelley and Natalia constantly asked for feedback on the clothing. They asked the buyers about the fit, fabric, color, what they liked and didn't like about the tennis clothing.

They simplified the Tennis Menace line by making it in two different styles in two different colors. Now there's a tank dress with yellow or blue stripes and a short-sleeved dress with yellow or blue stripes, both in a durable cotton-lycra combination. The dresses are extremely reasonable, retailing between $28 - $35 dollars and come in small, medium, large and extra large sizes.

The duo is currently working up another dress, skirt/shirt combination, court shorts and a hat to top off the outfits.

Wondering where to find this adorable tennis line? Locally, it's carried by Kidding Around in the Falls, GT Sports, Racquet World, King's Bay Athletics, The JCC (north and south), Royal Palm, Turnberry, The Links at Key Biscayne.

"We priced our line so people get great quality and style that's less expensive than anything else you can buy. But the real satisfaction comes when we hear people ask: "Where did you get that great outfit?"

When Natalia Schull is not teaching tennis or designing clothes, she enjoys running, biking or working out. And she especially likes doing sports-related activities with her husband David Schull, a Vice President at Thorpe & Company, a public relations and marketing firm.

Shelley Hallen is a lawyer and a full-time fourth grade teacher at Beth Am Day School. She spends most of her "free" time with two children Alix, 11, and Brett, 8 and with her husband who is an executive in the aviation industry.

"We'd both love to make Tennis Menace a full time endeavor," Shelley said. "It's wonderful to do something that is both fulfilling and so much fun."

For more information on Tennis Menace, call 305-321-3730.