Maggie's geraniums
Maggie’s Boutique is recognized perhaps as much by the beautiful geraniums outside the shop on Frederica Road as for the quality women’s fashion inside. Co-owner and store manager Ewell Gay says that people ask him all the time what his secret is for growing such lovely blooms. There’s no special trick, just the same care and attention that he’s put into choosing timeless and trendy women’s wear for four decades.
Ewell and his sister, Adgate Cole, opened the original shop, called the Pappagallo Patch, in April 1974, joining only 4 other women’s apparel stores on St. Simons Island. They carried the then popular and preppy Pappagallo brand of shoes and some accessories. After seven years of business, the Pappagallo brand name chose to eliminate all small privately-owned shops and distribute only via large department stores, so Ewell and Adgate changed the name of the store to Maggie’s Boutique. The rest, as they say, is history.
Now the store focuses mainly on women’s clothing, with only a few lines of shoes and accessories. With stylish new offerings from Krazy Larry to timeless separates, Maggie’s still depends on quality merchandise and shops the markets for trends currently in demand by the island clientele. He does admit, however, “I miss the preppy look. Always classy.”
The inventory carried in the store has kept Maggie’s one of the premier women’s shops on St. Simons Island. They are one of the only stores on the island that carry plus size clothing for women in any consistent quantity. Known as “Lady Dawg Headquarters,” Maggie’s selection of Georgia Bulldog t-shirts and game day attire is legendary and is a popular spot for UGA fans, especially during Georgia-Florida week. Ewell says, “When they get to the island, they come here first, THEN they check in at their hotels.” When asked if the UGA customer base has changed over the years, he says that Georgia-Florida has become huge, but the crowds really depend on how the season is going. If the Bullodgs are playing well, he knows he can expect big numbers on that weekend that gives a huge boost to the island economy.
He says although there have been four decades of style changes, customer changes, and staff changes, in the end Maggie’s is still the same boutique. They have a great staff to work with their customers and provide their knowledge of fashion. Ewell and Adgate’s sister Merrill Edens is one of those friendly staff members. Asked what it’s like to work with family members, Ewell says, “You can’t get better people no matter where you go. And,” he adds with a wry grin, “they can’t say ‘no.’”
While the store clientele is made up mostly of women in their mid-30s to 40s and older, Ewell notes that Maggie’s been dressing families of customers for three generations. He says that the difficult part of that is watching the older generations fade out as the customers get older. In 1974, when Maggie’s opened, they were the fifth ladies’ apparel store on St. Simons Island, 40 years later they are still going strong as one of more than 20 such shops. Yes, times have changed--the traffic on Frederica Road has certainly increased--but some things stay the same.
Ewell and Adgate say, “We owe our 40 years to our customers past, present, and future. To them we say ‘Thank you!’ 40 times over.”
