Alumni Story

Ask for support, there comes a family from it.”

Michelle heard about Catawba College at a college fair. It was a long way from New York, but it helped that she had grandparents who lived near Clemson, SC and she was looking for a small college. She describes herself as a “music person,” with a grandmother who was a music teacher. When it came time for Michelle to declare her major, she chose music education, with a concentration in voice. She smiles, “I figured why not?” 

One of the things she appreciated about the faculty in her major is the way they went out of their way to make her feel at home. “Dr. Steve Etters and Dr. Julie Chamberlain would invite me to have dinner with their families, they looked after me.” Her experience supplies her with good advice for Catawba students who may be far from home. “Ask for support, there comes a family from it. Take heart, you eventually find your people. Somebody cares, and if you don’t show up to class, people notice, and they will call.”

Following graduation, Michelle ventured into music education as a high school choral director; she was also the cheerleading coach. With her love of music, she was dismayed to find the school seemed to feel that the choral program was less important than cheerleading. She changed paths, getting her cosmetology license, but two surgeries on her hands in six months quickly ruled out that plan. With financial help from her sister, she went into multilevel marketing. “I was always a shopper,” she adds. “I liked to make people feel good about themselves with hair; you could do that with clothes.” She soon cut ties with the multilevel company and went out on her own, running a clothing business from her basement. “I worked from home, my kids were home, but I knew brick and mortar,” she explains about her desire to open a retail storefront. “New York was not the best place to do that in.”  On the way back from the buyer’s market in Atlanta, she stopped in Salisbury to explore opening a clothing store. 

Ruthie Darling Boutique in downtown Salisbury will celebrate two years in business in July 2024. Michelle’s store is targeted to “All Sizes. All Bodies. All Ages.”  The store is named after Michelle’s beloved grandmother Ruth. “She just knew if you were having a bad day. She was an encourager. You’d get a scripture or an article to encourage you. She’s my guardian angel.” Ruth passed away just two days after Michelle graduated from high school, but Michelle keeps her encouragement in mind as she navigates the day-to-day challenges of running a retail business that has a social media presence, an online retail website, and an app. Michelle also serves as a model on the retail website, posting photos of herself wearing new items that come in. The photos help website shoppers envision how an item looks on a real person.

Michelle is active in the Rowan County Chamber of Commerce, serving on the executive committee for Young Professionals. She believes in giving back to the community, and has done fundraisers for local animal shelters, helped with grocery shopping, and in one case, offered an in-store shopping visit to pick out new clothes to a teen girl whose family’s home had burned down. Michelle provided an entire outfit, and through social media, her customers and friends generously provided several more bags of new clothing that the girl selected.

Michelle enjoys some downtime too and expresses gratitude for her trustworthy employees who enable her to take time away from the shop so she can watch her two young boys playing baseball and football. She laughs, “It’s fun to watch them turn into little humans with their own dreams and personalities.”  She appreciates simple joys, too. “I am happiest sitting outside reading a book. I don’t need a pool. I just need the sun and a book.”