Aug 23, 2010

Meggie B’s gift shop in Semmes honors owner’s loved onesBy Tama Ferster CarterBlog.AL.com

Semmes, Ala. — Tammy Miller, 46, has always enjoyed shopping at gift shops and boutiques. Some of her fondest memories are of visiting small towns with her mother, Barbara Madden, shopping and just enjoying the friendly atmosphere.

“I’ve wanted to open a gift shop for as long as I can remember,” Miller said. “But when I was traveling as a sales rep, I realized that every small town I went to had one — and yet, Semmes didn’t have a gift shop, but needed one.”

Miller opened Meggie B’s on March 14, 2009. Behind the gift shop’s name is an inspiring story. “Meggie” is in honor of Megan Miller, Miller’s niece, who died in January 2006 at age 10 from CHARGE Syndrome, an acronym for multiple birth defects.

She was the daughter of Miller’s brother-in-law, Barry, and his wife, Beverly Miller. The Semmes Elementary student, who was unable to talk and was confined to a wheelchair, was seen by her peers and the community as a miraculous gift from God.

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