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Maternity shop is built on memories BYLINE: ROBERT HADDOCKS; Staff Paula Roughen had fond memories of shopping at the maternity apparel store pickles & ice cream in Augusta while she was pregnant three years ago. But after having her first child, she had to search for the quality products and friendly, efficient service that she had found there. So when a longtime friend called her after spotting an ad for franchise opportunities with pickles & ice cream, Roughen didn't have to think long. "I said, 'Oh my God, I had the best experience in pickles & ice cream when I was in Augusta.' " Roughen said. "Through my whole pregnancy, it was the nicest store I went in, they were the most helpful and I always remember that store." Roughen and her longtime friend Christine Barber hope to create similar experiences for expectant mothers, starting today with the opening of pickles & ice cream at the Forum at Peachtree Corners. The store will have a complete selection of maternity clothing, from casual to lingerie to evening wear, diaper bags, jewelry, nursing bras, breast pumps and clothing for infants. Since 2000, the friends of 15 years had floated the idea of owning their own business, combining Roughen's retail management experience with Barber's in human resources, but never gave it serious consideration until Barber saw the ad. Then, the pair started planning and once they saw the concept of The Forum, "we didn't look anywhere else. It was The Forum and only The Forum," Barber said. The owners promise to be on-site managers so that they can get to know their customers. Pickles & ice cream will offer excellent products, they said, but customer service will be a priority. "Our focus will be on customer service," Roughen said. "We want to be the best in our field, certainly, and we want to be a resource for expectant mothers." Pickles & ice cream is located at the Forum at 5165 PeachtreeParkway, Suite 230. Phone: 770-840-8710.
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