Windi McKeithan: Ragamuffin Children’s Boutique

When she was 23, Charleston native Windi McKeithan took a leap of faith and decided to buy two children’s wear shops in Mount Pleasant.

Armed with a Fashion Merchandizing degree, good taste, an eye for trends and an entrepreneurial spirit, she grew her trio of small businesses – Ragamuffin Children’s Boutique, Stride Rite Shoes and Radical Rags – into a success story. This spring she’s celebrating 31 years in business.

“I decided to try out the world of children’s fashion and ended up falling in love with it,” she remembered. “Helping our customers pick out each piece is living the dream for me.”

The entrepreneur said one of her favorite things about her job is building lasting relationships with customers.

“I’m definitely a people person,” she said. “Customers that used to shop for their children now come in with their grandchildren. It’s such a blessing for us to dress the newest generations of their family.”

Windi said her days stay filled with helping customers, placing orders, meeting deadlines and “personally handpicking everything that comes into the stores.”

“Owning these stores doesn’t feel like ‘work’ to me. I’m so thankful,” she said.

She credited her continued success, in addition to her own hard work, to her support system: her husband and children, her staff and a higher power.

“God put me here for a reason,” Windi said. “As I look back at the path I have taken, I see exactly why I ended up in certain places at certain times in my life: God had a plan.”