Owner has high hopes for children’s boutique Reese & River

It takes a lot of optimism to open a new business in the middle of a pandemic, but that’s just what Addison Seale has done with Reese & River.

The children’s clothing store had its grand opening April 3, and Seale said since then traffic in the store has been “wonderful.”

Her idea of opening a store devoted to children from infants to age six wasn’t new. “I thought about it for a long time,” said Seale. “There needs to be a kids’ shop.”

She first started selling items online, storing her inventory in husband Russ’s “man cave.” When the room became so crowded that he no longer could use the space, she decided to open a brick-and-mortar store.

Her only thought was, “I have lost my mind.”

The opportunity came to rent space when friends also opened a new store. Reese & River is in the same building as women’s clothing boutique Canebrake Creations, owned by Anne Freeman and Dana Freeman, and a new beauty salon.

Seale has a full-time job with Alabama Power, so her store is open only Monday through Thursday from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. and every other Saturday. She hopes the business will be successful enough that she can hire help.

The name for the store came from what the Seales had decided to call their children: Reese for a girl and River for a boy. Eight-month-old Reese goes to work with her mother.

Seale tries to keep her merchandise as Alabama-based as possible. She even commissioned hats with the Demopolis water tower on it, created by her brother-in-law Chad Seale at Shirts & More. She sold out of the hats and has more on order.

What tickles her even more is seeing all the postings of children wearing clothes that came from her store.

“It’s crazy seeing my stuff on Facebook.”

In addition to children’s clothing, Seale has set up a baby registry. Costumes, layette items and other child-oriented merchandise also can be found in the store.