Leann Wade and Nicole Garner, the owners of Sole Sisters, know they have to do something special because of their location.
Just south of Seminary on U.S. Hwy. 49, the business is located on the corner of a cow pasture. Consequently, the store tries to hold sales frequently to attract shoppers.
Sole Sisters has only been under the current management for four years, when Garner and Wade reopened and renamed The Watermelon Patch in April 2015. The iconic watermelon monument still remains in front of the store.
Wade said both owners picked the name “Sole Sisters.” The store name is a lesson in irony. “Sole” gives the impression that the business is a shoe store; it is, but it sells so much more, with clothes – especially T-shirts – jewelry, fashion accessories, ice cream (yes, ice cream), and, of course, shoes. The other ironic part of the sign? “No, we’re not sisters,” Garner said.
“But, it’s a pretty cool story,” Wade said. “We do ministry most of all. My husband is the senior pastor, and her husband coordinates the music. So, we do church together. The main church is in Collins – The Springs. We have a ministry for smaller rural areas, and we have one in Sumrall and Columbia.”
“God is all up in the business and in our lives,” Garner said. “‘It’s the soul of your heart and the sole of your feet.’”
Garner and Wade met through the ministry.
“We have actually only known each other about ten years,” Wade said.
“And half of that time, we’ve been in business together,” Garner added.
Sole Sisters was once named The Watermelon Patch, and the iconic watermelon monument remains in front of the store.
Wade has a master’s in accounting from Southern Miss, and Garner earned a teaching degree from Southern Miss. Neither woman was working at the time they decided to buy the business. They were stay-at-home -moms after having kids.
“We’re still pretty young in it, just learning your store and what your buyer buys in the price range,” said Garner. “We’ve bought things that we shouldn’t have, and we will probably buy more things that we shouldn’t.”
They buy merchandise for every member of the family, they said.
“We like to think of the business as a family store, but the women buy more, of course,” Garner said. “We have a corner for the men. You can buy something for Mom, Dad, and the kids.”
The 10,000-square-foot building has plenty of merchandise for the family.
“Ashton Drake dolls are popular,” Garner said. “We have the biggest selection of Ashton Drake dolls. They look like the newborn. It’s an experience. They come out here, look through the cases, and pick out their baby dolls.”
Sole Sisters is known for its shoes and T-shirts too. And you can add Louis Vuitton bags and jewelry to your Christmas list. Also popular in the store are the Myra bags.
“They are hot right now, and we have stocked up on those.”
As far as the seasons, Garner said summer is hot, both in business and temperature. “We have returning families each summer,” she said.
“The summers are our hit season. Going toward the beach, we see people from Texas and Arkansas. But we always want to see more locals too.”
“I think we have successfully increased that business (with local customers),” she said. “When we bought it, I think we were very heavy on the tourists – just people who were driving by and know the store, but I think we’ve increased local traffic, bringing people out of Hattiesburg.”
“It’s really not that far of a drive,” Garner said.
“It’s not far, but it’s in a cow pasture,” said Wade. “It’s not the most convenient place, but it’s a destination, and we want to make it so that you want to come here.”