After careful prayer and consideration, longtime friends Natalie Quinney and Beth Wideman have opened a new business they hope fills a need in the community.

The two officially opened Firefly Boutique back in October. The children’s clothing and accessories store caters to girls from size 2T to “tween” (T 14-19).

Quinney, who has two daughters, said she was inspired to open the business based on her own experiences of shopping for her girls.

“When my little girl got out of smocked clothes, finding clothes that were appropriate for her and she was comfortable in and enjoyed was difficult,” Quinney said.

Wideman, who has a daughter and son, said it’s a sentiment she’s heard often in the two months Firefly has been open.

“There was a need,” Wideman said.” The response we’ve gotten is people saying they don’t have to travel out of town anymore to get something.”

Both have separate experiences in retail — Quinney worked from the time she was 15 through graduate school at Perfect Touch and Wideman worked past summers at the Mustard Seed.

They said Kayte Randall and Amelia Quinney at Perfect Touch were mentors in the process of opening their own boutique.

The new business owners said the timing was right to open up shop. They moved into the space formerly occupied by Lowe Jewelry (913 Highway 80 East), which closed earlier this year.

“We prayed some and them prayed some more, asking for God’s direction and guidance,” Wideman said.

The Demopolis Area Chamber of Commerce and Demopolis Area Business Council sponsored a ribbon cutting at Firefly on Thursday afternoon.

Firefly is opened Tuesday-Friday from 10 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. They are closed on Sundays and Mondays.

For more information, call (334) 287-2155 and visit “Firefly Boutique Clothing” on Facebook.