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“I was working at a plant and it was closing down,” said Donna Merriman, coowner of Fraleigh’s. “I didn’t have another job and was fortunate enough to have parents who made my childhood dream a reality. They said, ‘You’ve always wanted to have a clothing store,’ because that’s what I did in high school. I began working in various boutiques starting at the age of 15.

“Merriman’s eye for fashion must have been obvious early on as the boutique owners took her on buying trips. She also helped with the bookkeeping, which increased her knowledge and gave her a background in several aspects of the clothing business.

As things started falling into place, Mary Bingham, Merriman’s mother, insisted she needed to have a partner. A number of names came up until one day Merriman looked at her mother and said, “Well, Mom, what about you?” They have been partners ever since. The name Fraleigh’s is a combination of both their middle names. “It’s been a wonderful partnership,” said Merriman. “We can go to a show and agree 98% of the time on what items to purchase for the store.”

Read more on page 32 in the September Issue of FW magazine