Adults who visited Mildred Hill’s The Little Shop usually wanted to chat with the shopkeeper and find something special for the children in their lives. The children, however, were often looking for Harvey, Hill’s West Highland Terrier.
Hill and Harvey could be found at the children’s clothing shop, which moved from Gainesville to Phipps Plaza in 1999, and later to the Shops Around Lenox, before it closed in 2010. Hill operated the business, which she purchased in 1963, for nearly 50 years, said her son Dennis Hill, who lives in Dunwoody.
“She loved the children,” Hill said of his mother. “And she really just loved people. Some of her customers brought their children to see her after the store closed.”
Joe Manders, Dennis Hill’s life partner, ran the Phipps location with Mildred Hill and said they finally had to close at the end of 2010. The next year her husband of nearly 60 years, Clyde P. Hill Jr., died.
Katharine Glover said her children had a tea party with Hill, as she recuperated from a fall a few months back.
“She was so glad to see them and they were glad to see her,” Glover said. “She really was a special lady.”
Mildred Owens Hill, of Dunwoody, died unexpectedly Friday after emergency surgery earlier that week. She was 83.
A funeral is planned for noon Tuesday at Tom M. Wages, Snellville Chapel, which is also in charge of arrangements. Burial will follow at Memorial Park Cemetery, Gainesville.
In the ‘50s Hill went to business school in downtown Atlanta where she graduated a few years before she acquired The Little Shop, family members said.
“It was her dream to own her own business,” her son said.
Hill’s selection of clothing and brand of service were both unique, former customers said. Susan Lundy said the clothes in the shop were not items she could find just anywhere around town.
“She had things that no one else seemed to carry,” Lundy said. “And she made shopping in her store a joy.”
Hill’s demeanor was that of a true Southern lady, Glover said, adding that the store owner “was full of grace.”
From remembering the likes and tastes of her regular customers, to helping customers buy for the coming season, Hill had a knack for the business, Lundy said.
“It was an experience you don’t find much in retail anymore,” she said.
In addition to her son, Hill is survived by her sister, Thelma Syretta Thornton of Decatur; and brother, Zebb Owens of McDonough.
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