When Carrie, the founder of Maggie Mae's, was a little girl, her momma, Margaret, but better known as Maggie, opened a children’s clothing shop in South Carolina. She named her store “Carrie’s Closet”, after her little girl.
“Carrie’s Closet” specialized in french hand-sewing and hand-smocking, and sold all the supplies and materials that would allow her customers to make items for their own children. She even conducted classes to teach others how to create beautiful, heirloom quality dresses for their daughters.
Maggie published her smocking designs, made french-sewn and hand-
smocked dresses to sell, and even sold the “gently used” clothes little Carrie had outgrown. For many years after the shop closed, Maggie would still receive orders for her beautiful smocking designs, and some of these are available on Etsy today!
Maggie passed on her love of sewing and creating arts and crafts to Carrie, and they would make things together, strengthening the already special bond they shared. In fact, they were like best friends who were always there for each other, and their special bond never faded.
Carrie’s lifelong love for creating things manifested itself throughout her life, and her crowning achievement was graduating from The Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD) with a degree in Graphic Design. Throughout her 20+ year career as a Graphic Designer, Carrie was able to express her artistic talents and the knowledge she had gained. She was always inclined to be very “Artsy and Crafty,” and she developed hobbies like sewing, embroidery and photography. Ever the entrepreneur, she even started a home-based business for her freelance graphic design, called “Pixel, Ink”, which also specialized in screen-printing and cut vinyl designs!
In January of 2014, Carrie gave birth to her own little girl, who she proudly named after her most significant inspiration- her momma.
In 2017, Carrie and her husband decided it was time to move closer to family, so they left the "big" city of Birmingham, and moved to Fort Payne, AL. And, just like her mother before her, Carrie opened her own children’s clothing shop, and named it "Maggie Mae's" after her little girl…Margaret Ashley Evans or, as we all call her…Maggie MAE (get it?).
The store specialized in children's clothing, custom embroidery, and baby gifts. The store was a success and a joy to run, but in early 2019, outside forces (including a high-risk pregnancy of their 2nd little girl!!) led to the closing of the store, and becoming a solely on-line business.
Hopefully, the store will continue be a success, and Carrie will continue to share her embroidery, baby gifts and children's clothing for years to come!
