My Story
I never thought I'd be starting over at 58. But honestly? I'm not sure I'd change a thing.
I opened Mae & Only over eleven years ago with nothing but an eye for good fabric, a stubborn belief that women deserve to feel beautiful at every age, and more determination than good sense. I built it slowly, carefully, one dress at a time. Every piece in this boutique has passed through my hands. Some literally, because if a hem isn't sitting right or a seam isn't perfect, I fix it myself before it ever reaches you. That's not a policy. That's just how I was raised.
For years, the boutique and my marriage ran side by side. Then the marriage ended. And when it did, my ex-husband made it very clear what he thought should happen to Mae & Only. He wanted it gone. Said I'd built it on his support. Said I'd never survive on my own.
The settlement gave me a choice. I kept the boutique.
The first few months alone were harder than I'll admit to most people. I'm learning how to run everything by myself; the finances, the inventory, the emails, the shipping - while also learning how to just be alone after decades of not being. Some nights I sit in the stockroom surrounded by dresses and wonder what on earth I'm doing.
Then I think about what he said. And I get back to work.
That's where The Divorce Sale comes in. I need to move forward, clear space, start fresh - and I want these dresses to go to women who'll actually wear them and feel something in them. But already it's becoming more than a sale. Women are reaching out. Sharing their own stories of starting over, of being underestimated, of choosing themselves when nobody else did. I wasn't expecting that. It's cracking me open a little.
This boutique is mine now in a way it never quite was before. Every dress I carry, every decision I make, every late night and early morning > that's all me. No partner, no safety net, no one to defer to. Just me and a collection of dresses I believe in with my whole heart.
He said I'd never make it.
I think about that every single day.
Watch me.
With love and something to prove, Mae | Founder & Sole Owner, Mae & Only
P.S. Every order automatically enters you into my Giveaway - lucky winners get their full order refunded. Just my little way of saying thank you for showing up for me when it matters most. 🎁