It isn’t just men’s clothing inside H. Stadiem.
Lindsay Rouse opened a woman’s clothing store inside the men’s department store on June 1.
Rouse, a Deep Run native, was having trouble finding a name for the shop that wasn’t already taken. Rouse’s 9-year-old daughter, Holland, came up with The Pink Daisy because pink is her favorite color and daisies are her favorite flowers, her mother said.
Rouse’s grandparents, Jimmie and Anne Honeycutt, owned a woman’s clothing store for about 30 years — first called Fran’s, then Honeycutt’s.
“I actually helped my grandparents since I was about 10,” she said. Rouse continued working at the shop until she graduated from South Lenoir High School in 2000.
Working full-time as a client services representative for Interim Health Care since 2008, Rouse decided with her past experience it would be natural to open her own clothing store on the side.
“I love clothes,” she said. “I love shopping.”
The Pink Daisy also carries scarves, jewelry and pocketbooks.
“It’s trendy and it’s what’s in style right now,” she said.
Bubble necklaces, chevron patterns and what she calls “crazy pants” are some of those fashionable items. But she also carries some classic styles, as well.
Fashions — casual, business and semi-dressy — come in small to 3x sizes for young women and up.
Rouse offers a 30-day return policy with a receipt and the tags still attached.
She works in the store on Saturdays. Her sister, Candace Rouse, runs the shop on Thursdays, and Sarah Smith will be assisting customers on Fridays beginning Sept. 13.
Rouse said she and her staff enjoy getting to know their customers.
“They walk in as customers,” she said, “and they leave as friends.”
Anyone who mentions this article through Sept. 14 can get 10 percent off their purchase.
The Pink Daisy, 124 N. Queen St., is open 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. For information, call 252-527-1166.
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Marybeth and Chad Terry met in pharmacy school at UNC-Chapel Hill. Their encounter not only led to marriage, but also a business venture that provides pharmaceutical services for long-term care facilities.
The Terrys reached the 10th anniversary of their business on Sunday.
Marybeth Terry, the daughter of Charles and Betty Watson, is a Pink Hill native and sixth-generation pharmacist. Her great-grandfather owned Hood’s Pharmacy in Kinston for 100 years.
Her grandparents, former Lenoir County Commissioner Billy Brewer and his wife Martha, owned the Brewer Drug Company in Pink Hill in the 1950s and sold it to her father in 1976. He changed the name to Watson Drug Company and, later, expanded the business.
“My father started servicing nursing homes and assisted living facilities in Pink Hill,” Terry said.
She grew up working with her father after school and during the summers. After graduating from South Lenoir High School, she went on to pursue a degree in pharmacy and marry Chad.
“We realized there was a need,” she said, “for a market with a focus on customer service. We feel we’re a relationship business, and we feel very blessed by that.”
The couple started Southern Pharmacy Services in 2003 to provide pharmaceuticals to skilled-nursing and assisted-living facilities, hospice centers, group homes, addiction centers, jails and intermediate centers.
“We do a whole array of services for them,” she said.
In fact, the company employs about 250 people in Pink Hill and Kernersville — including 15 nurses who provide education on Medicaid Part D and other healthcare matters. They also work with doctors to reduce psychoactive medications (chemicals that affect brain function), as well as perform regulatory audits and chart reviews, Terry said.
About 100 employees reside in Lenoir County, she said.
Orders are taken through physicians, the medications are specially packaged and a fleet of drivers carry the orders throughout the state. The medications are bar-coded and tracked electronically to ensure they reach their destinations, Terry said.
Customer service, state-of-the-art technology and staying abreast of regulatory changes keep the company on the cutting edge, despite tough competition, she said.
“We’re very responsive and very customer-service oriented,” Terry said.
SPS is also community-oriented. Employees regularly volunteer to assist Meals on Wheels, and the company supports a number of local fundraisers.
The Terrys are planning a 10-year celebration for their facility customers at the end of the month at both locations.
Margaret Fisher can be reached at 252-559-1082 or Margaret.Fisher@Kinston.com. Follow her on Twitter @MargaretFishr.
Got A Suggestion?
Do you have a new retail business or one that’s undergone a significant change? The Free Press would like to hear about it. Contact Margaret Fisher at 252-559-1082 or Margaret.Fisher@Kinston.com.