Unless you have been to Slick's in Boothbay Harbor, and/or know the owners, you might do a double take when you walk in the door and an attractive blond at the counter greets you with a smile, then you walk toward the back of the store and somehow she has gotten there ahead of you.

That's because one of them is Andy Bielli and the other is her identical twin sister, Adele. They look alike, they dress alike, they talk alike, they smile alike and they walk alike. They laugh alike, too. A lot.

The two are virtually inseparable. They lived apart for a short time once, and they didn't like it. “It was probably a year, at tops,” Adele said. “We really couldn't live without each other.”

Before coming to Boothbay Harbor, the twins led a varied and interesting life. Originally from Worcester, Massachusetts, they moved early on to Vermont, where their father was a professor at Middlebury College. They grew up skiing, and were both downhill racers. They were both artistic by nature and when not on the slopes they dabbled in the arts. Both attended the University of Vermont, focusing on fine and theater arts before moving to Aspen, Colorado and working as ski instructors.

Their mother sewed clothes for them when they were kids, and eventually they got the bug. Adele said she looked at a boiled wool blanket on her bed one morning and decided to cut it up and make a jacket. “It was for a hockey player I was dating,” she said. The jacket became a coveted item. “Everybody wanted one,” Andy said.

In 1971, the twins opened a shop on lower Thames Street in Newport, Rhode Island. They started designing and manufacturing a line of contemporary clothing called A. Bielli Designs. Some of the pieces were manufactured in Fall River, Massachusetts, and some were made by local women. “We had a cottage industry,” Adele said. “We'd make the patterns and cut the pieces, and we'd take them to women who would sew them in their homes.”

In the summer they switched from wool jackets to dresses made with Hawaiian fabrics. The hip but practical line of clothing was represented by major department stores including Bloomingdales, Nordstrom and Bambergers.

In the mid-1970s, they started a new career — modeling in New York City. During that time they appeared in a televised commercial with Joe Namath, advertising the Hamilton Beach Twin Burger cooker, and they were one of the sets of twins in Doublemint's advertising campaign.

That’s right, they were Doublemint Twins.

Wanderlust set in again, and Adele and Andy set sail for the Caribbean. They landed on St. Barts. There they continued in the design and fashion field, working for a designer of leather accessories — bags and belts. It wasn't all work though. St. Barts is, after all, a warm, sunny island in the middle of an ocean. It was a playground for sailors from all over the globe, and they were young, blonde and not without their charms.

Three years on St. Barts was fun, but design and retail were in their blood, as was New England. The two came to Maine, where Andy had secured a position in merchandising with the Grasshopper Shop in Camden. Adele worked in the store part time.

In 1987, Adele met Jeff Savastano from East Boothbay on a blind date in Rockland. Shortly afterward, the couple married, and decided to open a women's apparel store in Boothbay Harbor. They came close to buying an empty gas station to house the business. Hence the name Slick's. (Greasy – get it?)

But when a building became available on Townsend Avenue, in the middle of town, they grabbed it. Andy soon came on board and the twins have been running the store ever since.

Slick’s is entering its 28th year in business. After attending trade shows in Massachusetts and New York City, NEAC and FAME, this past winter, and scouting out new merchandise for their store, the owners are excited about opening for the summer season with a whole new line of fun, funky, fashionable clothes and accessories.

When the sisters go to trade shows they have to remind themselves for whom they’re buying. “We’re not our customers,” Andy said. “Sometimes it’s hard to remember that.”

The Biellis are looking forward to what they hope will be a busy summer, and fall, through Thanksgiving and Christmas, thanks in part to the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens.

“The golf course and the botanical gardens are the two most positive things that have happened for local businesses in 28 years in this community. The light show at the gardens is going to help the whole town for Christmas.” (In true twin form, this statement was started by Adele and finished by Andy.)

With all new merchandise, Slick's is full to the brim with stylish, colorful clothing, a new line of reversible leather bags, shoes and trendy jewelry and accessories. They also have a line of the softest teddy bears ever, made with Alpaca fiber. Andy said she has an affinity for them. “Women buy these for friends with breast cancer, which is great, but I hate selling them. I feel like I should make people sign adoption papers.”

Even if you're not in the market for some new duds or funky accessories it's fun to just stop by Slick’s and say hi to the vibrant, fun-loving twins. And tell them something funny. They love a good sense of humor.

As of April 23, the boutique is open for the season. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., until Memorial Day, then open every day throughout the summer.

Call 207-633-7426 or go to Slick’s Facebook page.