Sitting off U.S. Highway 98 in Magnolia Springs sits a little house surrounded by giant oaks. It has hosted various businesses over the years, but it has a new purpose.

Two lifelong friends have taken the leap to open their dream boutique Love, JUDE Clothing and Accessories. Carrie O'Connor and Judy "Jude" Collins were buzzing around their new shop hanging pictures, steaming clothing and shifting furniture and décor until it is just right. The dynamic duo are lifelong friends, and it shows in the way they work together. They took time out of their last-minute prep to sit down and talk about their new shop and why they chose the sleepy town of Magnolia Springs.

Their story started in Sylacauga on the first day of 10th grade. Both were new to a high school full of students who had been together since kindergarten, and they felt like outsiders. When they made it to Spanish class that first day, they were paired up as partners and have been best friends ever since. They went to different colleges, moved away, had families and careers but stayed close friends and shopping buddies.

O'Connor and Collins both started working in retail as teenagers, but for Collins it was a passion. She worked in retail for many years on a management level and loved it. When she left the industry, she began to miss it.

"Fast forward to about a year ago. We were both in soul-sucking corporate jobs, and we would be on the phone complaining," O'Connor said.

O'Connor and her husband sold their company, but she stayed on for three years to train an international team and plan corporate events all over the country. She said it was stressful and that she was ready to leave it behind.

Meanwhile, Collins owned a human resources consulting company and dealt with the automotive industry.

"HR has gotten insane. You are damned if you do and damned if you don't in every way," Collins said. "I am great at the recruiting piece, but I didn't interact with people. I was sitting on a phone in my office at home."

The friends had dreamed of opening a boutique together years ago, but they weren't at the right place in their lives. Children were still young and they were deep into their careers.

"There has to be a tipping point where staying in it is scarier and worse than the fear of doing something new," O'Connor said.

They had also both reached a breaking point with clothing.

"We were both frustrated with clothing. We are not tiny little girls," Collins said. "When you get a shower invitation or wedding invitation, instead of going, 'How cute,' or, 'Does my calendar allow me to go?' we went, 'What am I going to wear?'"

They were ready to follow their dreams and open a clothing boutique.

Their first step was a fact-finding mission to the Atlanta Market. They wanted to see if they could find quality, affordable and fashionable clothes.

Collins described their customers as "normal people who either had the midlife spread after having kids or menopause."

They found the brands and clothes they liked and decided to open an online boutique in October 2022. Then they saw a mobile retail unit for sale online. They flew to Detroit and drove the truck 1,100 miles to Fairhope. The initial idea was the mobile boutique would drive sales to their online store, but in-person sales reigned supreme. They realized a brick-and-mortar location may be the best bet.

They passively looked at available spaces in Fairhope and surrounding areas, but Collins still lived in Sylacauga. Then, a month and a half ago they were driving through Magnolia Springs and saw a "for lease" sign. They pulled in and peeked through the windows and then called the number on the sign. The landlord gave them the door code, and they walked in and fell in love. One month ago, they signed the lease.

They said they couldn't pass up the deal because they could get double the space at half the rent of the spaces they looked at in Fairhope. The lack of foot traffic was a little worrying at first. They decided to test the market on Easter weekend while they were working around the property. They parked their truck, GoGo Chanel, in the yard and opened it up.

"We have supportive husbands but not husbands that believed in the dream initially," Collins said.

"They do now. They are on board," O'Connor added with a laugh.

They had so many customers stop by that they had to bring them into the unfinished shop to use the dressing rooms. The women raved about how the shop looked and the clothing, and the husbands were listening. One sale that day was $1,000.

"We were blown away! We were shocked," Collins said.

They have both worked hard to curate a collection that will stand the test of time and created a space that is inviting and makes you want to stay for a while and visit.

"It is gratifying to me to help someone realize their worth through clothing," Collins said. "It seems shallow. It's just a dress right, but it is not just a dress. If you can look in that mirror and see yourself differently you are going to be a better wife, mom and employee. If you feel amazing you stand differently, talk differently and you make different eye contact. You are a different person that day and make an impact on the world. So, me selling you that little dress, if that can help the world a tiny bit then I have done something that maybe made my mom and God proud."

Love, JUDE Clothing & Accessories opened Saturday, April 15. Follow their Love Jude Facebook page to find out about upcoming events.