Hey Everybody...Welcome to Sweet Maggie Rose Gifts, Clothing, Accessories and Friendships!!!

The whole story started when my now 25 and 23 year old children were in elementary school and I thought we were at a place where I could start a little stay-at-home-Mom side hustle.

I started making hand-made signs with quotes, scriptures and sayings that I sold in little boutiques all over our area. I have always loved Sweet Words.

The kids named it "Mom's Sign Company."

Vintage 615 was one of the stores in which I had a booth where I sold my signs. After five years of selling in Vintage 615, my hubby was deciding to retire from General Motors and I prayed for God to show us what He wanted us to do.

Within 24 hours of Chris turning in his retirement papers, the owner of Vintage 615 texted me out of the blue and said "I am thinking about selling the store, do you want to buy it...I think you will take it to the next level."

Wow...Well blow me down!!!

We bought the store and it was like a dream come true. I got to buy things I loved for the store, I had an amazing staff and I got to use the store as a platform to support and love upon our community and make life long friends.

A couple years later, another opportunity opened for us to open a furniture store.  It was in a different location and run by my hubby, but our dream was always to be under one roof together.

Over time, several buildings became available that worked for one of us but not the other. I would always pray, "God close the door if it's not your will." He did and we had a few hard disappointments.

We were going through a big heartbreaking time in our lives, the sudden illness and passing of my 97 year old Dad (who had lived with us for eight years after my Mom passed), when opportunity arose again. The owner of the building that our furniture store was in decided to sell the building.  All at that same time, a building in Columbia (12 miles away) became available (with enough space for both of us) and lo and behold, no one had snatched it up when we called and it was ours!!!

We knew that one Season has passed and a new Season was beginning.

We closed both stores and moved with our staff to one location together...Just as we had prayed for!

After announcing we were moving, our customers were so sad (and I felt guilty) that I quickly opened a booth in the local Spring HIll Antique Mall to be able to continue carrying some of our customer's favorite gifts and local town merchandise.

With the move, it was a great time to rebrand. Vintage 615 got its name 12 years earlier when vintage and shabby chic were the rage. As time and trends moved forward, we no longer carried vintage, becoming more of a trendy boutique with small to plus sizes clothes, heartfelt gifts and merchandise from 20 plus local vendors. Additionally, with the move we no longer resided in the 615 area code. Hmm....no longer Vintage, no longer 615, a new distribution plan - probably time to rename our sweet little store. I immediately knew I wanted to name it after my late Mother and I wanted it to be about friendships. She had many girlfriends in her lifetime, but the name that flowed so well was with one of her besties, Maggie.

They became best friends in their 70's from our church senior's small group. They were different in every way (background, race, education) except in the heart. Maggie didn't drive, my Mom was an on-the-go kind of spiffy woman (red Mustang with a spoiler on the back) and was the driver. She'd pick Maggie up and they went everywhere together. Shopping, eating out, serving their friends and talking on the phone with each other were their favorite things.

They were so short that when you drove behind them in the car, it looked like no one was driving. All their friends called them and their friends the "Golden Girls."

Hence the name "Sweet Maggie Rose," in honor of my beautiful, big hearted, full of life Mother and her girlfriend, Maggie, and their friendship.

May "Sweet Maggie Rose" remind you of those special friendships in your life or perhaps open up doors for you to find your Sweet Maggie Rose!!!

-Margaret

 Pictures of Margaret and Chris