Page 67 - South Mississippi Living - April, 2023

Riley’s offers a wide selection of everything from playwear and attire for special occasions to shoes and accessories. Whether it’s a birthday party or a baby shower, you find something for everyone, and every occasion, at Riley’s.
Notably, Riley’s takes a unique approach to baby registries: the mom comes in and chooses all of the items she would like, Riley’s showcases the items in a basket for the shower attendees to shop out of. This keeps the customers from having to run all over the shop on a hunt. Then, the selected gifts are wrapped beautifully and ready to go. For Riley, the experience of shopping at her store should be a personal one. “We try to get to know all of our customers so we can better serve them,” says Riley, who prides herself on hand picking items at market to add to the store, keeping her loyal customers in mind. “So many great relationships have been built in these walls. I love what I do and am so appreciative that these moms trust me to clothe their littles. I get photo text from many of them with their children in the outfits they buy, and you can’t get a better compliment than that.”
Riley’s has weathered many storms, Hurricane Katrina being one of them. They lost everything but a couple of iron racks, which is one of Riley’s favorite pieces in the new store. But Riley’s determination kicked in, and in just four short months, she went to market, restocked, and relocated temporarily in November of 2005 to Edgewater Mall. Riley’s was welcomed back with open arms as there were very few places to shop at this point. Riley’s remained in that location for five years and has since made Gulfport the store’s home.
Let’s not forget COVID-19. With Easter approaching and the stores all on lockdown, Riley continued to work the store alone and did all she could to make Easter special for the children of the Coast. She communicated with customers via cell phone through the shop windows to create custom, unique gifts baskets for each child, all of which were available curbside to ensure safety parameters were being met. While 2020 was a difficult year for everyone, Riley’s dedication to the community ensured that Easter still maintained some small sense of normalcy, a blessing to many local families.
Riley credits her success to her family, her customers, and employees that support her. Her passion for the store is so great that you can feel it when you walk in. “It just doesn’t feel like work. It’s my happy place,” she says with a smile.
Check out Riley’s Children’s Apparel on Facebook for additional information about their upcoming 20-year celebration.
TOP: Iron rack still displayed in the store that survived the wrath of Hurricane Katrina. ABOVE: Easter baskets set out curbside during COVID-19. BELOW: Old ads for Riley’s featuring daughter Lauren and grandson Landon (now 14 years old).
SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living | www.smliving.net
April 2023 | 67
8930 Lorraine Rd. Ste. F, Gulfport
228.896.6823