OCEAN CITY – The connections of a popular Fenwick boutique are branching out with the launch of a new kids clothing store.
Last week, Magnolia Rifle Boutique co-owners Pam and Taylor Harman opened the doors to their new sister store, Magnolia Rifle Kids. Located on 80th Street in Ocean City, the new storefront features baby and kids clothing, books, games, toys and items for new moms.
“We are following our dreams and trying to support our community in the process,” Taylor said.
Pam and Taylor Harman
In 2017, the mother-daughter duo opened Magnolia Rifle Boutique along Route 54 near Fenwick Island. Pam, with her background in fashion merchandising, and Taylor, with her degree in fashion merchandising from Savannah College of Art and Design, combined their talents to launch a bohemian retail store for women.
“My mom and I always dreamt of owning a boutique together …,” Taylor said. “We searched and searched, initially wanting to go into Ocean City because it’s where we’re from, but it tended to work out on Route 54. So that’s where we started.”
In the last four years, Magnolia Rifle (Magnolia to represent Taylor’s love of the south, and Rifle to honor the legacy of her late father, Steve Harman) has grown to include women’s clothing, gifts, décor and wellness items.
And after Taylor’s son was born, they dedicated a corner of the store to baby clothing.
“It started as women’s and gifts,” she said. “Once I had my son, he would always be in the store with me and people would always ask where his clothes were from. So we made a corner for baby clothes. Then people would be like, ‘Well my two-year-old needs clothes,’ The demand kept growing.”
Taylor said she and her mother began looking for expansion opportunities last year. While many boutique shops struggled to move online during the pandemic, she noted Magnolia Rifle – with its established online retail store – thrived.
“We actually saw tremendous growth throughout the pandemic,” she said. “So after things slowly started going back to normal, we knew we were looking to grow.”
Earlier this year, Pam and Taylor acquired retail space next to South Moon Under and spent the ensuing months making improvements.
Despite a few hiccups along the way, Magnolia Rifle Kids opened its doors to the public late last week.
“The response has been overwhelming,” Taylor said.
The co-owners noted clothing at Magnolia Rifle Kids ranges from newborn to eight years, though there are plans to expand inventory for older children. Currently, the store carries roughly 50 brands.
“We try to be different,” Taylor said.
For more information, visit magnoliarifle.com, or the Magnolia Rifle Kids page on Instagram. The store is open daily.
