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By Carey Reeder | Staff Writer

Over five years ago, Angela Pierce Mallinson had her youngest daughter and needed new clothes and toys for her newborn. However, at the time in Chilton County there were no stores specializing in these baby items.

So, Mallinson got her business license on July 5, 2017 and opened Mulberry Hill Boutique out of her husband William’s realty office. Mallinson and her older daughter, Alexis, started selling items at local events and the business kept growing from there.

Mulberry Hill moved to downtown Clanton on Second Avenue in 2018, but Mallinson wanted a place to own and call her own.

This year, Mallinson was approached about purchasing 615 and 617 Second Avenue across the street and did not pass it up.

“The whole time we were there we wanted a property we could own,” Mallinson said. “Most people around here do not sell buildings, they just keep them and lease them out so we felt that was an opportunity we could not pass up.”

Nov. 4 was the first day open at its current location, and Mallinson also introduced their second store, Cedar & Bloom Clothing Co., to customers that day. Cedar & Bloom is a men’s and women’s clothing store that offers dress clothes and accessories for special occasions.

Mallinson said it is not necessarily a passion for clothes that brought her to open the stores, but “more a passion to help people and provide a service here.”

“We saw our customers (at Mulberry Hill) asking for men’s clothes … we wanted to have something that was a bit dressier,” Mallinson said. “We saw a need for it, and that is how both Mulberry and Cedar & Bloom came about.”

After opening Cedar &Bloom, Mallinson wanted customers to be able to shop in both stores without having to go back outside. So, a walkway was created through the wall between the buildings.

“We were excited to do that, and that was our goal.” Mallinson said.

An old barber shop was in one of the buildings, and Mallinson said men come by looking for a haircut, but stick around to look at the clothes at Cedar & Bloom.

Mallinson has used social media, and Facebook specifically, to boost both her businesses. The social media platforms helped her tremendously throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to stay afloat.

“If it had not been for social media our business would have tanked drastically,” Mallinson said. “Facebook can be challenging at times, but it can be a great tool if you use it correctly.”

Mallinson is a member of the Merchants Association of Chilton County, and she said she enjoys going to those meetings and getting to interact with other business owners. Mallinson said the owners help her come up with different things to help her businesses grow.

“If you would have told me at this time last year, we would be buying a building and opening a men’s wear store, I would not have believed you, but anything is possible,” Mallinson said. “With God anything is possible, and I definitely do not put limits on him and wherever he leads us that is where we will go.”

Mallinson said her daughter Alexis has been an integral part of helping keep both businesses going smoothly.