One day before Dolores Buller turned 93 years old in July 2026, the La Mesa City Council surprised her with a proclamation, honoring her 40-plus-years of entrepreneurship and community engagement.
“For more than four decades, Dolores Buller has exemplified the entrepreneurial spirit, generosity and unwavering commitment that define the very best of the City of La Mesa,” read Councilmember Patricia Dillard.
Buller’s commitment to La Mesa began in 1982, when she opened Act II, a ladies’ resale boutique. She then helped found the La Mesa Chamber of Commerce (now the East County Chamber of Commerce) and the early La Mesa Village Merchants Association.
“I definitely was surprised,” Buller said. “I’ve been really, really involved with the Chamber ever since I got into business, and so them recognizing me like that, it just made me feel wonderful.”
Buller has since handed the reins of Act II to her daughter, Deanne Ross. Ross continues to grow her mother’s vision of bringing higher-end resale clothing to downtown La Mesa.
She was there to support her mother when the city recognized her.
“It was so touching and meaningful,” Ross said. “She lived, ate, and breathed these stores. She would even go home at night and fix jewelry, sew buttons on clothes. I mean, my mom worked and worked and worked.”
So did Ross.
Ross began working in her mother’s store at 12 years old. She had fun arranging the window displays and fell in love with every aspect of the business. Despite graduating from San Diego State University with a bachelor’s degree in speech communication, Ross wanted to keep working at Act II alongside her mother. Buller, however, had other plans.
“My mom actually fired me,” Ross said. “She said, ‘You need to go see what it’s like to work for somebody else. So, I did that. I did not want to.”
Ross spent six months working at a mall while begging her mother to let her come back. Eventually, she returned, rich with takeaways.
“As a mom, it was the best thing she could have done,” Ross said tearfully.
Today, Ross owns and runs the 44-year-old business full-time, having seen the second-hand industry change over the years.
“Resale was completely unheard of; I was young when my mom started the stores, and I couldn’t tell people, my friends, that I was wearing used clothing because it was so taboo,” Ross said. “Now I have a 20-year-old daughter, and she’s really cool because her mom owns a resale store.”
Beyond shopping locally, Ross also mentioned how “rotating your closet” is a good way to be sustainable.
“There’s so many clothes out there, there’s so much fast fashion,” she said. “It’s unbelievable the amount of clothes that people bring in to sell to us, like high-end designer stuff.”
With over 10,000 followers on Instagram, Act II continues to grow and has remained a staple clothing store for downtown La Mesa. Still, Ross emphasized the importance of being owner-operated.
“You can’t have a small business and just think that you’re gonna open the doors and then not work in that store. It suffers,” she said. “I feel like that’s why a lot of businesses don’t work when they’re small businesses after years, because you think that you don’t have to be there. You do.”
Despite a global pandemic and rent challenges, Act II persisted. Ross attributes that partly to the network of connections she and her mother forged in La Mesa. Following in her mother’s footsteps, she continues to volunteer on the La Mesa Village Association Board of Directors.
In a statement to Times of San Diego, a representative from the La Mesa Village Association acknowledged the contributions of both women.
“Dolores Buller was a trailblazing pioneer in the local business community… working tirelessly to lay the structural groundwork that shaped the vibrant downtown district enjoyed today. Her early leadership helped establish many of the enduring community traditions that draw visitors to La Mesa year after year. … Together, mother and daughter have spent decades advocating for downtown merchants and helping to improve the overall success of La Mesa Village.”
Ross says Act II is much more than a resale store: it’s a community.
“I can’t tell you how many customers are just, like, our friends,” she said.
When asked about her mother’s legacy and Act II’s mission going forward, Ross answered without hesitation.
“Making people feel absolutely fabulous every time they come in.”
