Cottage in Old Town Bluffton transformed into a clothing boutique (with parking!)
Rebecca Mancini wanted to open a second location of her Ohio boutique clothing store, but she wasn’t sure where it should be. Savannah? Somewhere in Florida?
When she heard the perfect spot was available in Old Town Bluffton, it didn’t take her long to set the wheels in motion. Just a little more than a month later, Maggie and Me is open in a charming cottage at 6 Bruin Road next to Nickel Pumpers gas station.
The shop specializes in “sophisticated but casual” clothing, shoes and accessories for women and teens and with a small room of infant and toddler items as well.
Mancini said she is aiming for a “fresh” and “young, contemporary vibe” in the store.
“I find, here, people are getting back out to dinner and doing it safely with a few couples, so it is casual, but in a different way … not over the top,” she said.
Mancini first opened Maggie and Me in Circleville, Ohio, more than 20 years ago. The business, named for her daughter Maggie, has a larger footprint there than in Bluffton and includes formalwear, which won’t be stocked in the smaller Bluffton shop.
“I had to follow what the space let me to do,” Mancini said.
One bonus shoppers don’t always find in Old Town: There’s plenty of parking.
Leslie Trenta, Mancini’s sorority sister from college who lives in Stock Farm, gets the credit for bringing Maggie and Me to the area.
The two women were in Sigma Sigma Sigma together at Marshall University and remained friends after college, so Trenta knew Mancini was considering a second store. Mancini had visited the Lowcountry a couple of times but had not spent a lot of time in Old Town.
Trenta and her husband, Jack, spotted the “for rent” sign that had just been placed on the building while they were on their regular Sunday morning walk. She texted Mancini a photo, and Mancini, in turn, texted the landlord.
Within 48 hours, Mancini was in Bluffton to sign the paperwork.
“Here we are four weeks later,” Mancini said.
“She really fell in love with Old Town,” Trenta said.
It’s a good thing Mancini responded quickly. By the time she signed the paperwork, she said the landlord told her he had a waiting list.
“It kinda fell into place,” Mancini said. “I’m very, very thankful how things are coming to fruition.”
If you go
What: Maggie and Me Old Town Bluffton
Where: 6 Bruin Road, Bluffton
When: Regular hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday; hours are shifted from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Nov. 13 for the formal grand opening, with the celebration continuing on Saturday.
Phone: 843-707-9083
