By J.R. Tidwell / Editor

A new clothing store has opened its doors for business in Clanton.

Willow 31 hosted a ribbon cutting in conjunction with the Chilton County Chamber of Commerce on Oct. 11.

Willow 31 is located at 111 Seventh St. N in the building where Bar-D Western Wear was.

Kelsie Barrett and her mother Shelley Morris are co-owners of Willow 31.

“We split it 50/50,” Barrett said. “My mother has always owned her own business. She did cakes for awhile. We have been wanting to do something together. I am a clothes fanatic; I love shopping. It’s been a dream of mine and hers, so we wanted to open something together in our hometown. We have lived here our whole lives. This is something we really wanted to do together as a family.”

Willow 31 currently specializes more in women’s and children’s clothing, but the store will be expanding its inventory soon.

“As of right now, we have women’s, plus size and little girls’ clothing,” Barrett said. “We have a little bit of men’s clothing right now, and within the next few months we are going to be getting in a lot more men’s and little boys’ clothing. We will be offering clothes for everyone. We also sell jewelry, and we have shoes for women and kids.”

Chamber director Francine Wasden was on hand to welcome new member Willow 31 into the fold.

“We are steadily growing,” she said. “This is such a nice, new business. They have invested in our community, and we love that. We are proud that they have joined the Chamber, and we support them.”

Willow 31 is open Mondays through Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Fridays from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The store is closed on Sundays.

“We saw this building, and it’s in a perfect location,” Barrett said. “It’s on Highway 31, and there is constant traffic through here. The windows were perfect for showing our products, so everyone will be able to see us. It is centrally located, so I feel like everyone from Chilton County can come here.”

Morris wanted to thank Jason Elrod of Solutions Framing and Construction for the work done remodeling the store’s interior.

Barrett said she and her mother were happy that Willow 31 is open for business.

“I feel like it’s a breath of fresh air,” she said. “I feel like we finally made it to the opening day. We have done so much work on this store. We completely remodeled the entire inside. It feels great that we are finally open. We can finally serve the community we have been working so hard to get to.”