The Lili Pad and Gigi's

Long before The Lili Pad ever existed, two little girls in Mountain Brook were already dreaming about the shop they hoped one day to own. Sisters Susan Day and Katherine McRee grew up watching their mother own and operate the former Town and Country retail store.

“We always thought it looked like fun, and she certainly did a good job at it,” said Day.

 By the time the sisters had grown up and were raising young families of their own, they began to revisit the idea in earnest. 

“We love children’s clothes, and at the time this idea really gained traction, our children were little,” said McRee. “It just seemed like the perfect time to pursue this.”

That timing faced an unexpected turn when the sisters lost their mother in 2002 to pancreatic cancer. 

In the midst of their loss, the sisters remained ever-fervent to realize their dream and become small business owners of their own, just as their mother had done.

After coming close to purchasing the former Kiddieland store in Homewood, the sisters stepped back and reevaluated. 

“At first, we thought that site would be perfect,” said Day. “But then as we thought it over, we realized we could start our own store for what it would have cost us to purchase the Kiddieland space.”

At the time, McRee was already living in Cahaba Heights, which had just been annexed into Vestavia Hills.

“We felt that this area was about to boom in terms of growth, and set our sights here,” said McRee. The sisters met with Raymond Gottlieb to share their idea and to research future plans for Heights Village. 

“It was an unproven area, but I lived here, and I could see the potential,” said McRee.

After finalizing the location, Day called on her friend Susan Barron, an architect with KPS, to help design the store. After that, the sisters rolled up their sleeves and set to work, handling everything from staging to inventory to advertising, essentially by themselves. When it came time to select inventory, the sisters went straight to the source — their children. 

“To prepare for market, we wrote down all the brands in our kids’ closets,” said McRee. 

And despite their preparation and enthusiasm, that first trip to market proved to be humbling. 

“That first year, a lot of people told us they could not sell to us,” said Day. “We just told them to let us know when they could begin selling to us, and we focused on making our store the best it could be.”

That involved adding several services not found elsewhere, including discounts for moms of multiples, a well-stocked play area for kids to occupy themselves while parents shop, free gift wrap, 24-hour clothing approvals and a hassle-free return policy.

By August 2007, the sisters, bolstered by the store’s success, launched GiGi’s, a clothing store for tween girls in sizes 7 to 16. The store is a mainstay for Over the Mountain moms, who like its price points and age-appropriate looks, and for girls, who like its trendy fashions. 

“As moms, we want our daughters to dress modestly,” said Day. “But of course our girls want to be trendy and fashionable. With GiGi’s, we’ve been able to find that mix.”

Each year since 2010, Day and McRee have donated approximately $15,000 of merchandise to the Junior League of Birmingham’s Bargain Carousel. They also are a favorite retailer for the League’s Shop, Save & Share Card.

“We love working with community partners on projects like this,” said McRee. “It’s good for the community, and it brings in foot traffic for us. It is absolutely a win-win.”