MARY CAROL GARRITY

Mary Carol Garrity grew up working in her parents’ retail clothing store in Atchison, not far from the streets where Amelia Earhart played a half-century earlier.

In 1981, Garrity established a gourmet food shop in an old bank building in downtown Atchison. She named the now-legendary store, Nell Hill’s, after her maternal grandmother. Her small shop increased in size and has become a landmark retail store well known in the decorating world. While other small-town merchants were struggling, Garrity developed a personal style that appealed to customers. Those customers came back again and again in search of unique treasures and home décor items.

The Nell Hill’s stores have grown to include the original location and a sister store, Garrity’s Encore, in Atchison, as well as the latest addition — Nell Hill’s at Briarcliff Village in Kansas City.

In addition to managing her stores, Garrity has written her own series of books and a national syndicated weekly column. She has a line of home accents and custom paint colors. The Wall Street Journal hailed Garrity as a “one-person economic development force” and Forbes magazine declared her “one of America’s hottest little retailers.” Garrity continues to reside in Atchison with her husband, Dan.

MEET THE PANELISTS

MAJ. NICOLE MALACHOWSKI / CHERYL STEARNS / MARY CAROL GARRITY / MARIA ANTONIA