  Hugs and Hissyfits Story
Hugs and Hissyfits Inc. is the brainchild of owner Lisa McKee, a longtime resident of Fort Walton Beach, and the only child of Ray and Betty Munn. Fort Walton Beach was the place where Lisa lost her first tooth, danced her first dance and worked her first job. Ironically enough, that job was just steps away from her new boutique. “I worked at Big Daddy Rabbits, a thriving tourist shop that sold airbrushed T-shirts and other souvenirs. In the early 80’s, the Strip was the place to be. Sometimes we would stay open until ten o’clock at night, until the crowds died down. It was so much fun.”
High school summer jobs only last so long and before she knew it, she was donning a cap and gown, shaking hands with her principal and accepting her high school diploma. Lisa said goodbye to Big Daddy Rabbits and hello to the University of Florida where she earned a degree in English and a minor in education. She accepted a teaching position at St. Cloud Middle School just outside Orlando, where she taught eighth grade for 4 years.
Family and opportunity brought Lisa back to the Emerald Coast. When she was offered a chance to teach at her alma mater, Fort Walton Beach High School, she gladly accepted. She missed her parents and the laid back lifestyle of the Gulf Coast. Little did she know, this move would bring her one step closer to meeting her future husband.
Lisa met Todd McKee at Gold’s Gym in Fort Walton. Todd had recently relocated to the area from Alabama to pursue a new career. A serious athlete and bodybuilder, Todd likes to say he had a rule against dating anyone from the gym, so when he met Lisa, he had no choice but to go ahead and marry her. They married in July of 1996 and had their only child, Annalisse in February of 1999.
When Annalisse was born, Lisa decided she wanted to be a stay-at-home mom, and perhaps go back to school to pursue another degree. She chose accounting and spent the next three years working towards her master’s degree at the University of West Florida. “The closer I got to becoming a C.P.A., the more I realized I would rather use this new knowledge I gained in school to start my own business. All I had to do was identify the right business. It had to be something I loved, something I could really get excited about.” Lisa looked to her daughter for inspiration. She loved dressing Annalisse in ribbons and bows but often became frustrated with the selection of children’s clothing available in the area stores. “I realized Fort Walton didn’t have a children’s clothing boutique, and I knew mothers who drove to Pensacola to buy for their children. I knew this would be perfect for me. Plus, I had spent my childhood in fabric stores with my mother, a seamstress by hobby, and had really fallen in love with choosing fabrics and patterns for clothing.”
Another person who inspired Lisa was Nikki Lea. Annalisse met Nikki’s daughter, Sadie, at preschool and they became instant friends. When Lisa told Nikki about her dream of a children’s store, she didn’t know Nikki had years of retail experience, here locally and in Atlanta. Lisa said, “Nikki has been instrumental in getting this shop going. She has given me priceless practical information and has gone to market in Atlanta with me. She has also been a shoulder to cry on when things weren’t going exactly as planned!”
Lisa and Nikki began researching upscale children’s boutique on the Internet and made a list of designers whose clothing moved them. Lines such as Betsey Johnson, Baby Lulu, Oink! Baby and Zutano really grabbed their attention. “If we didn’t love it, we didn’t buy it. Both of us love everything in this shop.”
“It’s more than inventory when it comes to opening a business. It is also about the look and the name of the shop.” Inspiration often comes in small, pretty packages. “When people ask how I came up with the name, I just point at Annalisse. Every mother with a four year old immediately understands.” Lisa partially credits her grandmother with the look of the store. “I inherited several beautiful antique pieces from my Dad’s mother. I knew they would be perfect in the shop. Several shoppers have come in just to admire the furnishings.” It is definitely not your typical baby store with its dark wood antique and periwinkle walls – it really is beautiful.
Lisa also knew the location would be just as important as the look and the name. “This spot is perfect. Everyone who drives down Highway 98 sees the store.” But that wasn’t all that attracted Lisa. “I was so inspired by the revitalization happening downtown. I believe that by locating here, I am a part of a larger effort. Being a part of this vision gives Hugs and Hissyfits more than an address. It gives it a soul. My father supported the revitalization of downtown. The night the city council met to discuss the fate of the new library several years ago, my father called me to attend the meeting with him. He really believed the library belonged downtown.”
Lisa’s parents have always been an inspiration to her. “They always told me I could do or be anything I wanted.” They, of course, had concerns when Lisa started talking about starting her own business. How would it affect her daughter? Would the local shoppers support such a business? Was this the right time to start a new business with the economy the way it was? “They had all the same concerns I had, but I knew they had come around when my father started offering marketing and advertising advice. “On January 19th he and I were returning from Sam’s Warehouse where we had gone to buy dog food. My dad threw that 55 pound bag into the back of my Jeep like it was nothing. We talked about the store all the way home. He got out of the car, I said thanks, and he went to sleep that night and never woke up. He was only 68 years old. My mother and I were heartbroken.”
Giving up on the store was never an option. “My father taught me so much about life. He taught me to be civic-minded. He told me to do something everyday to earn the air I breathed. He taught me happiness is a choice. And he taught me never to give up.” Lisa signed the lease within the month.
Hugs and Hissyfits opened June 2, 2003. Lisa is overjoyed with the positive response to her store these first few weeks of business. She loves to watch customers pick up the tiny garments and smile as they think of the possibilities.
The response to the Fort Walton Hugs and Hissyfits was wonderful. Local moms and grandmothers really appreciated the fact they didn’t have to drive over the bridge to find a beautiful baby boutique and the tourists spotted it on their way into town and made a point to stop and shop. Word soon spread to the women in Destin and they started coming over and that really helped the business grow. Most importantly, the store built a great reputation as having the most beautiful clothing and baby gifts around and in 2004, it won the “Best of the Emerald Coast” award in the category of children’s clothing, AND it has won the award every year since!
Still, the business needed to grow to survive, and Lisa knew the way to do this was with a webstore, complete with a shopping cart where moms could buy directly off the site. But being a mom and a shop-keeper was a full time job, so she turned to her friend Nikki Lea, who had been by her side every step of the way with Hugs and Hissyfits. In November of 2004, Nikki opened the webstore for Hugs and Hissyfits (www.hugsandhissyfits.com). The idea was, so many of the customers were from out-of-state – this was just another way the store to keep customers even if they were several hundred miles away. “We really feel the webstore is an essential part of the business. People are so enamored with the store and the clothing, this is a way they can continue shopping for their children between trips to the Emerald Coast,” said Lisa. “We’ve sold to just about every state and even Canada since the opening of the website!”
The next move for Hugs and Hissyfits was a logical one – it was time to open a store in Destin. Hurricanes crippled highway 98 between Fort Walton and Destin, and customers couldn’t come. That didn’t stop them from shopping! Lisa received phone calls from moms across the bridge who needed outfits for special occasions or photography sessions, so she a started driving the clothing to clients homes. “My daughter and I would show up, carrying armloads of dresses, then we would sit on the customer’s couch and get a personal fashion show while the mom made her decisions.” I knew then if the demand was that great, I needed a shop in Destin.
In 2006, that shop became a reality at Destin Commons. To make life manageable and to be able to grow the business, Lisa sold the Fort Walton location to Nikki Lea and concentrated her efforts in the Destin store. “It has really worked out great. The two stores help each other – when one of us doesn’t have a certain size the customer needs, we call the other store and have it delivered. This way, we make the customer happy and we continue to grow both businesses. We sit side by side at market choosing the clothes to ensure continuity between the two stores. The customers have really appreciated the fact that the two stores work so well together. No more disappointed customers when their size is not on the rack.”
Lisa is looking to the future. “Hugs and Hissyfits has such a great name and reputation. I would really like to see it grow into a real player in the children’s clothing world. I think it would be a great shop in any resort town, anywhere in the U.S. Next, we plan to look toward Panama City – some great things are happening over there and we want to be a part of it!”
Downtown Fort Walton Beach
184 Miracle Strip Pkwy SE
Unit 2
Fort Walton Beach, Fl 32548
850-796-4847
Destin Commons
Legendary Drive
850-650-9509
hugsfwb@yahoo.com; lisa@hugsandhissyfits.com
Store Hours 10-5:30 M-F 11-5 Saturday
Online Store contact via email after store hours
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