Downtown Darlings Store Owner Talks Shop
Wilmington, NC – As the mother of two daughters, Marcia Frelke knows what girls like. And she’s always wanted to own her own business.
These two personality traits came together for Frelke when she opened Downtown Darlings in May last year at 112 Market St.in downtown Wilmington. Her business, a gift boutique, features a variety of gifts, clothes, accessories and toys that appeal to girls from babies to tweens, with some items available for infant boys.
Growing up in Fayetteville, Frelke’s entrepreneurial training began when she was a child helping her parents, Lynda and Howard Baum, run a bowling center the couple has operated for more than 50 years. After working at B&B Lanes and graduating from high school, Frelke thought she wanted to become a doctor. But she changed her mind during her senior year at N.C. State University, opting instead to work in the retail industry and hoping to one day start a family of her own.
