Magpies of Nashville, Tenn.

Team members left to right:
Maggie Tucker, Mallory Wilding, Danielle Molina, Anna Cedarlind, Lauren Wirths, Ashley Kelly,
and Tommie Sue Roach

I didn’t mean to make Maggie Tucker cry. The votes had come in for Retailer of the Year, and I was excited to share the news about her winning. Just a few minutes before the call, Tucker had been dragging out trash and empty boxes and vacuuming up the mess in her store. After all, Magpies is her pride and joy. So at the very moment that she was about to win a huge honor, Tucker was showing up as she always does as a small business owner, handling any and every job needed.

I introduced myself and stated the reason for my call. Instantly, she was overcome with emotion, shedding happy tears and calling to her staff: “It’s Earnshaw’s! We won retailer of the year!”

It has been an intentional, curated and hard-earned journey. As the creator of the Magpies store and brand, which also happens to be celebrating its 10th anniversary, Tucker has accomplished a great deal in a relatively short amount of time. In addition to her main store, she has three franchises and a private label collection.

Like any retailer with long-term success, the secret sauce is found in the buying strategy. While Tucker takes the lead for purchasing, she’s supported by her two “pillars” of Danielle Molina, manager and buyer for the Magpies girls’ division, and Mallory Wilding, director of operations. Together, these three women have taken on running two stores, creating and executing a business plan for a franchise operation and creating their first private label collection, XOXO by Magpies.

Getting to Know Them

Molina brings her background in luxury fashion and keen sense of style to the store. She also has an uncanny ability to finish Tucker’s sentences and thoughts—talk about being on the same wavelength! In addition to Molina’s fashion sense, she’s prudent about financial risks and rewards, Tucker says. “She is always encouraging me to step outside the box without getting too crazy.”

Wilding, who has served in various leadership roles, hails from the world of social work so she’s a bit of a Renaissance woman. She handles daily inventory processing and merchandising while also managing restocks, website design, digital updates, and collaborating with key wholesale partners. Wilding ensures that buying, planning and launches “go off without a hitch,” and her social work background comes in handy for the store’s charitable efforts in the community.

Tucker got a taste of entrepreneurship as a kid by running a lemonade stand that grossed the most money in her neighborhood. Once she became a young adult, she was drawn to retail and after seven years working for other people, took a leap to start to manifest her own store. Tucker opened Magpies in 2014 as a children’s resale shop, selling an edited offering of “gently loved designer kids’ clothing” with all-new gifts, toys and accessories. Over the years, the store evolved into a destination for new and expectant mothers with a gift registry service, every day and special occasion apparel—and everything in between including outerwear and pajamas—for boys and girls from sizes newborn through 6x/7. In 2016, Tucker launched Magpies Girl, clothing and gifts for ages 7 to 16.

Pivots & Expansions

Best-selling brand Rylee + Cru

The store experienced their first moment of needing to reevaluate their approach, like most businesses, in 2020. “When the pandemic hit, we decided to end our beloved resale offerings,” Tucker says. “Instead, we focused on bringing in the best brands from across the world.” Thus began the curation of labels such as Rylee + Cru (2023 Earnie Award winner), Iscream, Bari Lynn, Jellycat, Lullaby Set, Magnolia Baby, Quincy Mae, Kyte, KicKee Pants (2023 Earnie Award winner), and Lola & the Boys.

When it comes to assessing new brands to bring them into the Magpies’ merchandise mix, there are a number of important considerations and the financial aspect is, understandably, one of them. “We have full-time team members, offer complimentary gift wrap, provide free events to our community and are always looking for ways to serve various charitable organizations,” Tucker says. “We provide a magical experience to our clients, and it comes at a cost. So brands with strong margins are key partners for us.”

Tucker and her team’s business plan didn’t end there—they knew they had something special and wanted to expand vertically. This trio moved fast, while still calculating the risks and rewards. They secured a trademark for Magpies and in 2021, opened their first licensed store in Mt. Juliet, Tenn. A second location opened the following year in Paducah, KY. Then they saw opportunities to develop private label. The 2023 holiday season kicked off their first collection, XOXO by Magpies, which is also offered for wholesale. Talk about Magpies touching every part of the childrenswear business!

Curated with Love

This real-life “Shop Around the Corner,” the fictional children’s bookstore featured in the rom com You’ve Got Mail, is warm, charming and cozy—a welcoming wonderland. “It’s an extension of my heart and my family’s traditions. The entire product curation is done with great intention and love,” Tucker expresses. “We want children to touch and see and explore, and we want parents to easily find things in a well merchandised and shoppable environment. Every little corner is its own department waiting to be discovered.”

Longevity in the retail world isn’t something that happens fast. Tucker took one strategic step at a time, worked diligently and made educated business moves. “We live in a day when people have viral overnight ‘success.’ But to me, that’s not real success. You have to gut it out, hustle and grind.” Indeed, when she crawls into bed at night after a long day, she feels a deep sense of accomplishment. “I know we have made birthdays brighter and holidays merrier. I’ve seen wonder and joy in children’s eyes. We’re with families through their most precious seasons.” In addition to serving all her customers, Tucker has made an impact in the small-business community, creating jobs and opportunities for her staff while creating the means to give back locally to those in need, she explains. “We are doing everything and more than I ever hoped and dreamed we would.”

One of those dreams included Earnshaw’s. Tucker first picked up our magazine when she was 28 years old, and hoped that someday, she could be in it, “even if just the tiniest picture in the smallest corner.” Well, the Nashville little childrenswear shop around the corner has finally made it here. During our phonecall, Tucker’s enthusiasm is palpable. “It feels amazing to get this award—it’s like a big hug and the best pat on the back. My mom is so proud! Thank you Earnshaw’s. You do so much to support our industry. I am truly so honored.”