Nine years ago, Markey Hutchinson was working for Bank of America Home Loans. When her boss retired, Hutchinson took the opportunity to spend more time with her daughter, Betsey. While adjusting to her new role as a stay-at-home mom, the Lexington native discovered a little bonnet business located in Beaufort, South Carolina.
Hutchinson
“I loved their bonnets, and every time my daughter wore one, people would ask where it was from,” she said. “I referred so many people to the shop, but one day a friend let me know their website wasn’t working.” Hutchinson reached out to the owners, a mother-daughter duo. “I let them know the site was MIA and also asked if I could be a sales rep of sorts,” she says. “I was sending the store a lot of business and thought it would be fun to be compensated for it.”
It turns out they had experienced a sudden uptick in sales and were struggling to keep up. Their seamstresses were leaving, and the owners were contemplating next steps, so Hutchinson asked if they were willing to sell. Three months later, the business was hers and she renamed it to The Beaufort Bonnet Company (T.B.B.C.) in honor of the item that started it all.
Hutchinson started running the business out of her basement in July 2012, but it wasn’t long before she needed additional support. “I reached out to Oxford Industries about a year later because we were having trouble finding manufacturing partners in the United States to keep up with our growth,” she said. “Joining their family of brands was the best decision I could have made for The Beaufort Bonnet Company.”
Oxford — a publicly traded clothing company home to major labels like Tommy Bahama, Southern Tide, and Lilly Pulitzer — acquired T.B.B.C in 2017 and has provided legal resources, IT support and professional guidance ever since.
Lexington native Markey Hutchinson purchased a South Carolina-based clothing company after becoming enamored with its baby bonnets.
In the beginning, Hutchinson had a few part-time employees working for commission only and about 15 boutiques carrying the company’s products. Nine years later, she has about 30 full-time staff supporting the nearly 400 stores selling T.B.B.C. “We can now achieve weekly sales that are in line with what we did our entire third year of business,” she said.
In addition to bonnets and hats, they carry apparel and gifts for babies and children, from sleepwear and one-piece outfits to blankets, books and cuddly stuffed animals.
The company is currently on track to open four brick-and-mortar locations: two new “signature stores” in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, and Mountain Brook, Alabama, as well as the first-ever “flagship stores” in Miramar Beach, Florida, and Kiawah, South Carolina.
“A signature store is owned and operated by an individual who is passionate about The Beaufort Bonnet Company and agrees to our store concept and brand standards,” Hutchinson explained.
The Beaufort Bonnet Company is preparing to open several new flagship and signature stores across the southeast.
Little Classics on Clay, owned and operated by Peggy Queen and located in Lexington, was the brand’s original signature store. The Miramar Beach location will be its debut flagship store, meaning it will be owned and operated by T.B.B.C. Although there have been supply chain delays, Hutchinson hopes to open the signature stores in the next three to six months, Miramar Beach by January and Kiawah in March.
Hutchinson believes social media has played an important role in her business’ success. “It’s allowed us to communicate who we are as a brand in a very cost-effective way,” she said. “I think engaging with our customers online has set us apart and helped us illustrate how much we care about our supporters.” T.B.B.C. also used social media to its advantage during the pandemic.
“We were determined to support our wholesale partners that relied on foot traffic for sales, so we used our social media platform to highlight those businesses and promote what inventory they had in stock,” Hutchinson said. They also encouraged stores to ship orders, deliver to doorsteps and facilitate curbside pickup. “We received a lot of positive feedback that our brand and team helped them ‘keep the lights on’ during such a challenging time.”
Her team was so reliable and efficient while working from home that the company is now fully hybrid. Their Lexington headquarters was previously located at 400 Old Vine Street, but they recently renovated and relocated to a 12,000 square-foot space at 921 Beasley Street.
“There are many positives to going into the office, but we realized the hybrid format was a nice benefit to working for The Beaufort Bonnet Company,” Hutchinson said. “I also think it’s allowed people to achieve better work-life balance, which is important in preventing burn out.”
Hutchinson isn’t afraid to pivot if it’s going to benefit the company, and she encourages other business owners to follow her lead. “Changing your mind or altering your strategy isn’t failure,” she said. “It’s being resilient.”
One thing that will never change is the brand’s commitment to maintaining a small business feel. “We take pride in not only having a tight-knit team but also knowing our customers,” Hutchinson said. “We talk about their growing families, gush over Christmas cards, pray for them when they face adversity and cheer for them when they win a blue ribbon at a swim meet or lose their first tooth.” No matter how much the business grows, she hopes her team will always understand the role their products play in their customer’s memories.
“Our mission is to make babyhood and childhood special. We want to be there for the baby’s first beach trip, their first day of school and beyond,” Hutchinson said. “We really encourage parents to take a lot of pictures and embrace this sweet stage of life. After all, they’re only little for a little while.”