Harmonie Cutter and Angie Walker are two best friends who opened a specialty boutique in Millbrook last July and say they have not regretted a minute of it.
The two women opened Harmonie Kay Boutique in the Kwik Shop Summit Shopping Center in July of 2021. The store sells women’s clothing, accessories, jewelry and a variety of specialty items. Cutter said she is the creative mind while Walker takes care of the financial and legal issues.
The business is thriving with about half of its clientele coming from repeat customers versus half new customers. “We’re coming up on our first year and we’ve been very blessed,” Cutter said.
Cutter worked in a hospital sleep lab but had been home for a little more than a year. “I was getting a little bored at home, so I called Angie and asked her how she felt about becoming a partner and she said only if it is with you,” Cutter said. Walker still works as a paralegal after 27 years while still maintaining the shop.
The women came up with the name by combining Cutter’s first name with Walker’s middle name. “Kay was my grandmother’s name,” Walker said. “She would have been right here in the store helping out If she was alive. I am honored to be able to use her name.”
The company logo features a lotus flower and a quarter moon. Cutter explained that the lotus starts out in the darkest, deepest mud but grows to be a beautiful flower. The moon represents the changing of the seasons and the light it brings upon the darkness.
That darkness would touch both women before the light had a chance to shine. The store had been open only two weeks when Cutter started feeling bad at work. It turned out that she was suffering from COVID-19 and double pneumonia. She was hospitalized for four days and on oxygen for three weeks after being discharged. Things were rough for quite some time.
The two women had set a goal of having their website up and running by October of 2021 but when Cutter returned home from the hospital, she built the site in less than three weeks.
Walker was also experiencing some problems of her own. After four neck surgeries, she said she began feeling defeated because she couldn’t do many of the things she was used to doing. “This is not just a job, it is more of a saving grace,” she said. “It came at a perfect time because it gave me a chance to focus on something else.”
The women made the decision to carry a variety of clothing for all sizes and ages. “It’s hard to find plus sizes that are hip and cool and we wanted that,” said Cutter.
Walker said they both have young adult children and they pay close attention to what’s in style so that they can stock clothing that women want. Pricing is also important to the two entrepreneurs. “One of the things that was very important to us was that we wanted women to be able to get outfits that weren’t so expensive that they’d have to wait to get their taxes back to buy them,” Walker said.
One of the things the women are especially proud of is the fact that they use local vendors whenever possible. Miranda Jones of Marbury creates graphics for tumblers and graphic t-shirts. Mackenzie Elizabeth Designs of Millbrook creates sweatshirt and t-shirt designs. Jessica Smith of Deatsville hand paints air fresheners. All of our candles are poured by Christy Dell’Aria with Dell’Aria Candle Company out of Wetumpka, including their Exclusive Lotus & Luna Candles, Room Sprays and Wax Melts. Laura Spencer from Marion Junction, AL makes their lotions and soaps in their exclusive scents.
The store sells a variety of lotions, candles, shea butter and will have soaps beginning in April. “We want our customers to be able purchase something that no one else has,” Cutter said.
One thing that has been especially helpful to the two women is their membership with the Millbrook Area Chamber of Commerce. “The connections we’ve made and the people we’ve met are so important,” Walker said. “We miss them when we don’t see them so we love to go the Morning Brew.”
Cutter said the Chamber has been especially helpful in directing her to the right people who can help her with issues such as business licenses and fire regulations.
Walker said, “It is obvious that they genuinely care about the community and its growth. They guided us and pointed us in the right direction. I couldn’t see not being a member.”
For those wanting to browse their selections, store hours are Mondays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The telephone number is (334) 517-6271 and the website is www.harmoniekay.com Follow them on Facebook at Harmonie Kay Boutique and on Instagram at @harmoniekayboutique. The store is located at 1754 Highway 14 in Millbrook.
If you would like your business featured please contact Brenda Dennis with the Millbrook Area Chamber of Commerce at 334-285-0085.
