N'Style with Pamela Garner

I have been writing my Buy the River column for more than three years and have been blessed to meet incredible people and business owners in Southeast Missouri. Recently I met Pamela Garner, owner of N'Style Galleria, 102 E. Stoddard St. in Dexter, Missouri, and she reminded me of one of the reasons I love doing what I do. Pamela's story is a compelling one with themes of perseverance, pain, restoration and triumph. "Divine order" is what she would call it. I would agree.

Buy the River: How long have you been in business?

Pamela Garner: The women's store turned three years old this past November, but this establishment has been open for over 50 years. I opened the men's store in November.

BTR: Aside from the clothes, how does the men's store differ from your women's boutique?

PG: Men's is totally different. It was so different for me to buy men's clothes. My husband passed away six years ago and that was the last time I had to buy clothes for a man. So I asked opinions of men to find out what they were looking for in a men's store. Most said they did not want to go all the way to Cape to shop.

BTR: What brands do you carry?

PG: The Lucky Brand Jeans, Affliction T-shirts and American Fighter do well here. Roar shirts are very popular at the moment. Men's has been doing great. Dexter hasn't had a men's store in years.

BTR: What do you offer besides apparel?

PG: I have a full beauty salon carrying Merle Norman haircare products, a skin salon and a makeup counter. We also house a photography studio and host two charity cruisers per year that raise money for children in need. The next cruiser is on May 20 on Stoddard Street in downtown Dexter.

BTR: What can one expect at this year's cruiser?

PG: We shut down two whole blocks of Stoddard Street. The kids pick their favorite car of the cruise. There is lots of food, vendors and music. This is the fourth one.

BTR: How did you get into this business of fashion and charity?

PG: In 2001, I went to work at the former store Lois' House of Fashion. Her husband was diagnosed with cancer and I came in and helped her out while she was going through a difficult time. In 2009, my husband got sick and she returned the favor by helping me out. Our husbands died a year apart in 2009 and 2010. After that, she told me she was ready to sell her business and if I wanted it, I could have it. So, I bought it and gave the store its first remodel in 26 years.

BTR: What is your advice to women in business?

PG: My advice would be to pay it forward. My purpose is in charity. I always remember there were a lot of people who helped me when I needed it. I wondered why things happened in my life, but the hard times gave me a whole new outlook on life. Everything is in God's time.