Hallie & Co/LSJ

A strong bond between sisters and two strong business minds can make dreams come true in many aspects of life. For two Saline County natives, those dreams have become a reality.

Hallie Suggs and Whitney (Suggs) Fulcher both had the idea and ability to start their respective businesses and decided to open shops in their hometown.

Hallie & Company Boutique launched first, a local boutique specializing in women’s clothing and accessories. Shortly after, Little Sadie James joined the retail world—bringing infant, kids, and personalized custom options to the forefront.

“We had the idea to open a ‘sister store’ to Hallie & Company that was just for children’s clothing,” Whitney said. “Since I’d recently had a baby and was consumed with motherhood, why not open a business to benefit it? So, that’s what we did.” 

Hallie spent time attending college before opening her business, as she took on the entrepreneurial venture at only 19 years old. “I have been at it ever since,” Hallie stated.

Despite being a strong business owner, Hallie said she never envisioned herself owning a retail store growing up. “My mom always wanted to open some kind of store,” she said. “After some thoughtful planning, we decided to go for it and landed on a women’s boutique. At the time, there was a smaller crowd in Bryant when it came to boutiques, so I started online in 2023 and moved into a storefront later that year.”

Hallie & Company relocated once more to their current Bryant location in July of 2024.

“I have a lot of things on my plate, but I love to do it that way, because I have something going all the time,” Hallie said. “I seem to thrive in the hustle.”

The Boutique began as a typical boutique with women’s clothes, dresses, and shoes.

“But then I decided that was just not me,” Hallie said. “I like to dress in leggings and a comfy shirt or a graphic T-shirt. When I figured out it is hard to sell something I don’t personally love, I converted the store to comfy and casual clothes.”

Hallie said she transitioned out of the traditional sense to offer the more popular styles of today. The store also carries an exclusive brand, Orijinal, that offers one-of-a-kind items made from repurposed vintage textiles.

Having been in the boutique business for a couple of years, adding her sister to the mix has made the journey even better. “I love having her to talk to and bounce ideas off of,” Hallie said. “Or even just simple daily interactions, like if she’s monogramming things, she can ask if it’s straight.”

Like Hallie, Whitney grew up in Saline County, and after graduating entered the healthcare world as a surgical tech. After roughly five years in the field, Whitney found out she was pregnant with her first child in 2022 and decided to quit her clinic position and stay home full-time.

“It was really hard for me to go back to the normal work schedule after having Sadie,” Whitney said. “So, I started Little Sadie James to give me something else to focus on while staying a full-time mom” she added. 

Little Sadie James opened in September 2024 and offers a wide range of possibilities for children, including boys’ and girls’ items.

“Boys’ stuff is really hard to find,” Whitney said. “I try my best to keep boys’ stuff from newborn up to 7/8 and 8/9. We also do a lot of custom items with embroidery and monogramming in-store. We can embroider anything purchased in the store, or even any items that are brought in.”

Whitney added that her turnaround time is quick, usually a few days depending on the workload. Diaper bags, backpacks, blankets, toys, books, and other special baby items are also available throughout the business’ storefront.

Whitney features her creativity by taking plain shirts and then designing custom pieces with monogrammed holiday themes and other exciting work. Whitney shares, “All of my designs are unique, where I can add a monogramed name if desired by the customer.”

While items are plentiful, Whitney is most excited about the custom bows she has added. “There is a lot of hard work that goes into custom pieces,” Whitney said. “People are buying them left and right and then they come back for more or come in with their kids dressed in them or posting on social media. I worked hard on them, and that people are loving them too is really nice to see.”

Because an ultrasound location is close by, the newborn section of Little Sadie James stays hot with expecting mothers. “So many people come over after ultrasounds buying newborn stuff,” she said. “Most of those products go very quickly.” Whitney tries hard to keep her price points reasonable for her customers. “I don’t know that I have any children’s clothing over $50,” she said. “It adds up quickly when you go shopping, so I try to keep things affordable.”

Hallie and Whitney have taken the retail world by storm. It will be exciting to see what the future holds for these two sisters. “We have the kid’s and the women’s, now all we need is the men’s. That would be exciting,” Hallie said.

Little Sadie James and Hallie & Company are located next door to each other in Bryant at 307 Progress Way, Suites 400 and 500.