Planting Southern Roots Together It’s in Their DNA

PLANTING Southern ROOTS TOGETHER

IT’S IN THEIR DNA

by Brooke Ezzo | photo courtesy of Deanna Collins

Sisters Deanna Collins and Angela Harger are laying down some southern roots in Justin with the opening of their charming and unique boutique, Southern Roots DnA.

Immersing themselves in all things girl power, Deanna and Angela are fitting right in with the other boss babes in town.

Southern Roots DnA is a perfect combination of both sisters’ styles, and they hope to bring a different twist to the boutique scene Downtown already has. When it comes to women empowering women, they know success is never reached alone.

“We want to be on the same playing field as the other boutiques, but we want to sell different brands and offer different price points,” Deanna said.

Coming from the business world, they have continued to be women in business, but this time it is about doing something for themselves. Over two years ago, the sisters started making direct-to-garment and heat transfer vinyl designs for custom items and t-shirts from their homes.

“Our thought process over the past couple of years was to focus on the custom orders and then figure out how to expand,” Deanna said.

Nature rewarded their activity, and on March 7th of this year, the sister’s signed their autographs on a lease for a quaint building off FM 156 and 5th Street. Quickly after signing, the shut downs due to the coronavirus started. But the sisters took this challenge as a positive.

“We felt relieved, actually,” Angela said. “We weren’t rushed to open and we had time to make it how we wanted it.” Deanna added, “This was our way of saying God put on us on a path to give us the time to do it right, and we could open up when people were able to go back out.”

They used the time to their advantage and recruited several family members to help renovate the building and make it their own. On June 12, the Southern Roots DnA Boutique was open for business.

From the outside, you might not think the building could house a lot of inventory. But don’t let your eyes deceive you. Once you walk in, you’ll notice there is a bit of everything; clothing and accessories, gifts for him and her, and Texas made artisan items and custom orders. There is something for everyone.

“We are growing too,” Deanna said. “We sell cow hides, rustic furniture, we print all of our t-shirts in house, and we are bringing in home décor. We are constantly looking at what else we can have at the store.”

Deanna and Angela are bringing some extra southern flair to the community and are thankful to be a part of it. They look forward to expanding their business and engaging in all that Justin has to offer. When it comes to being women and small business owners, they want others to know that the sky is the limit.

“Just have faith and believe in yourself,” Angela said.

For more information, visit

www.SouthernRootsDnA.com.