The women say they have what it takes to be successful – tenacity, determination, drive and a never giving up attitude.
Alexander said she has always wanted to own her own business.
Lowery said she has always known she waited to be in business. She said she started working when she was 14 years old.
“I wanted to be successful,” she said.
Before opening the ladies clothing boutique, Lowery said she did a lot of research.
They chose downtown because the city of Florence was undergoing a revitalization of the downtown area. She said she thought it would be a good location.
Lowery said they came up with the name MiLadies 182 after discovering in her research there was a women’s boutique in downtown Florence years ago called MyLady’s. She is not sure exactly where downtown the previous dress shop was located, but if it wasn’t the same location, it was nearby.
“We wanted a similar name but not the same,” she said.
The spelling is different and 182 is the street address.
Someone once told them the number 182 means prosperity.
The owners said they started out carrying dressy clothes women would wear to work, church or for a special occasion. Once COVID hit, they said it was difficult find the same styles of clothing and women weren’t going out as much but rather staying at home so they started offering more casual styles.