A family business

CRESTVIEW — Women looking for clothing and business wear have a new place in Crestview to shop for them.

The Meraki Lady, located at 265 Main St., added women's clothing to its offerings in December.

Owner Shelly Brace and her son, Dale Riley III, marketer and photographer, said clothes at the store range from extra small to plus sizes. They also have a selection of jewelry, purses, beanies and other accessories from which customers can choose.

When asked what sets Meraki apart from other area boutiques, Riley said, "We're bringing a new different kind of trendy style to Crestview, and make it easy for people to stop by here without trying to run to Destin every time for a new outfit.

"We're kind of like a one-stop shop because we have a tanning salon, a hair salon, photography and a nail salon."

Brace said the salon part of the business opened in October. It has seven employees, and she plans to add two more employees to provide services to walk-in customers.

Salon hours are by appointment. The tanning salon and clothing boutique hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays.

A 'SUPER-CREATIVE' TEAM

The mother-and-son duo said they appreciate the skills each brings to the table for the multi-faceted business.

"Having my son help me with all this — it means a lot," Brace said. "He's great at marketing, and 'Mom is old-fashioned over here' and it makes it easier on me. I'm more the business aspect of it and we're both really good with people."

"Well, me and my mom are doing this together," Riley said. "We've always both been super-creative."

That shared creative streak is why the pair settled on the business' name, Meraki.

"Our cousin actually told the meaning of it," Brace said. "We were all brainstorming and coming up with different names. Meraki is an old Greek word meaning creativity and love, and it comes from the soul."

"I can look at things and get an idea (to work with)," Brace said. "He sees things in a whole new way… If we took the same picture, I do not have the same eye that he does. I can tell you that."

The company has Instagram and Facebook sites, and will soon have an online store in a few months.

Note: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that the Meraki Lady Boutique has Sunday hours. This was a typographical error on our part. Hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays. The News Bulletin staff apologizes for this error.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: A family business