GirlBoss Feature

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Gina McKee: Nella Boutique

by Ashley Monninger

For this month’s GirlBoss feature, I am beyond excited to interview Gina Allen McKee. I already know that she’s beautiful, talented, and kind: a former Miss Randolph County, she’s been an Asheboro sweetheart for years. But today I’m excited to explore another side of Gina: the accomplished business-owner who manages to balance work, faith, and family with a gorgeous smile, and some downright contagious positivity.

Back in the day, before Nella (“Allen” spelled backwards) was nestled in the heart of Asheboro, and was being run out of her parents’ basement, Doug Allen told his girls, “If people will shop in a basement they will shop in a brick & mortar (store).” His advice was on point. Nella Boutique is a super successful locally owned retail clothing boutique, where the care and consideration for customers is evident in every nook and corner of the shop. Walking into Nella is always a vibe, and today is no exception. I duck in and blink away the bright, midday sun. Inside I see why this is the spot in town for unique fashion finds: the exposed brick walls , the racks of on-trend clothing and adorable accessories, the happy colors and prints of the Goodr sunglasses and Swig insulated cups, lined up perfectly on industrial chic shelves. I smell the dreamy aroma of a Capri Blue candle. Gina’s right-hand girl, Emily Wise, greets me with a warm smile from behind the counter. In a flash of pale green and white , Gina appears and asks me where I would be most comfortable. I suggest we go outside she whisks me to the patio where we settle in. I ask, “What was your first job?” Gina laughs to herself and tells me about how, when she was sixteen, her dad recruited her to do the “grunt work” at their family-owned construction business (J H Allen) to pay for what he called her “parties and pizzas”. There, she was to learn the value of a dollar. The fact that “daddy owned the business” didn’t mean she

got to show up whenever she wanted and get paid to sit and look pretty. Gina describes Mr. Allen as a “hard core boss” who told his daughter that it was her duty to be an exemplary employee: always on time, ready to work, and willing to do anything that was asked of her. He instructed her to “go above and beyond”. This work ethic, and sense of duty, has stuck with Gina through the years. She applies it to every aspect of her life: in all of her endeavors, Gina curates excellence.

After graduating from AHS, Gina studied English Education at NC State. She taught high school English for 12 yrs at AHS, SAMS, and SWRHS, where she also coached varsity volleyball. She loved teaching and coaching, but she felt like her job “was getting the best and my family got the rest.” She and her husband Derek have two sons, Colton and Tate. Derek was traveling and Gina realized that she was being spread too thin. Run ragged from devoting herself 100% to every responsibility, the couple prayed some big prayers, and ultimately decided that it was time for Gina to be a full-time mommy. She had just won Teacher of the Year, and could hear God whisper to her, “you’ve done what you needed to do here, now go home.” The next chapter of her life, at home being “mommy” to her boys, was a soul-soothing break from too much running and too many responsibilities. Gina felt like she could finally breathe.

Gina says she and her mom, Donna, along with her sisters,