By J.R. Tidwell / Editor

Mulberry Hill Boutique, located at 612 Second Avenue N., carries clothing, shoes and other items for babies up through outfits and items for older girls. The store carries clothing for young boys as well.

“I opened a year ago, but I didn’t open this store until June 1,” said Angela Mallinson, who owns the store with her husband William.

“I started from our home, and we started growing. I realized I needed a place to set up shop. We have a real estate office, and I used a small portion of it to put everything up so people could come in and see what I had. That quickly grew, and we outgrew that space. This location became available, and we were able to move in.”

Angela Mallinson, who runs the store, had the idea to open such a business locally after having an issue finding an outfit for her daughter.

“We had a baby born in April,” she said. “Shortly after she was born we went to eat lunch one day, and I wanted to buy her an outfit here in town. I couldn’t find a place to go shop for babies. That was frustrating knowing I would have to drive at least 30 minutes out of town to go buy an outfit. To find the outfit I wanted it was probably more like 45 minutes. I started doing research to see what it would take to open my own business.”

Now a year later, what started as a business run from the home has burgeoned into a new store prospective shoppers may peruse in Clanton.

“It has been a Godsend,” Angela said of the new store. “We prayed about it, and we felt like God was leading us to move here. We are excited to be here. The business has definitely grown.

“Our sales have tripled if not more. We have been able to expand our inventory, and we will be able to continue to grow. Every week I get new inventory. We’re excited to see where it goes.”

“She has taken the bull by the horns and made it happen,” William said.

As far as the name of the business goes, Angela said that idea came about from memories of her childhood home.

“The place where I grew up has a huge mulberry tree that was over 100 years old,” she said. “It’s up on a hill. One of my grandfathers would ask if I was going to ‘Mulberry Hill’ when I went home. When I started the business, it came to me.”

Mulberry Hill Boutique is open Monday through Friday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Angela will also take appointments as well. The number for the store is (205) 789-5567.

William said he and Angela have six kids, which keeps them busy. However, it is this experience as a mother that helps give Angela insight into what prospective customers want.

“As a mom I know what it feels like to find a perfect outfit for Easter, a birthday or every day,” she said. “It’s frustrating when you can’t find that special outfit. A lot of the things I carry are traditional outfits that will be around for a while. I have things that you can pass down.”