ORLANDO, Fla. — A second chapter can be daunting, especially after divorce.

What You Need To Know

Kierra Anderson opened a second location of her children’s spa in Orlando

Anderson reserved a space for another business owner, Krystin Rogers, to set up her childrenswear boutique

Both women forged strong bonds over not only entrepreneurship, but sharing stories of divorce and overcoming

Both Anderon and Rogers are hoping to replicate their success in other places, including Tampa

But two women found camaraderie amid their own personal conflicts, leaning on one another to open a successful business that caters to kids.

“As a woman, especially as a single mom, owning a business, doing all of these things, you really need support,” said Krystin Rogers, the owner and founder of Riv & Rai Curated Kidswear.

Rogers combined forces with another business owner, Kierra Anderson, who opened the Pamper Palace Luxury Kids Spa, first in Ocala and now in Orlando.

Anderson’s spa features a distinct space for Rogers’ kidswear boutique; a colorful complement to the pink-everything spa, the boutique is equally as girly, filled with sparkles, glitter, and bows.

But it was several years ago that Rogers, a stay-at-home mother and fashion influencer, first met Anderson in their hometown of Ocala.

“I remember walking in and being like, ‘Wow, this is heaven.’ At that point, I didn’t have my boutique yet,” said Rogers.

Little did she know that for Anderson, success was bigger than opening up her spa brick-and-mortar, and later, a mobile spa bus: Anderson was fresh off a divorce from her husband and raising two small children.

“I was actually served divorce papers at seven months pregnant. And yeah, and my ex-husband basically said that, you know, he no longer wanted to be married,” she explained. “I remember being in a state of mind of saying that, ‘I just want to cry and go to sleep and just not wake up.’”

Even amid the dark time in her life, suffering from postpartum depression, Anderson said that she remained focused on the future—for herself and her children.

The former beauty queen got her real estate license, launching Anderson Home Group months later in January 2022, and used every penny of commissions to open her dream business, the children’s spa.

“I didn’t want my daughter to see me weak. I didn’t want my son to see me crying constantly. I wanted them to be able to look at me and say that my mom overcame,” she explained.

Yet, the divorce, Anderson conceded, took a toll on her self-esteem. It took years of therapy to regain her former confidence, leaning on family, friends and her faith in the process.

And when Rogers later found herself in the same situation, after separating from her husband the same month in which she got the keys to her kidswear business, she knew who to call.

“Our business conversations would slowly evolve into personal life and really just self-esteem building, right? Her being able to say, ‘Hey, I’ve been there, girl. You can do this,’” Rogers said. “Kierra has created or given me like a sisterhood I couldn’t even have imagined finding. And not just like a business partner, but to have a friendship.”

As for what is next, both women agree that collaboration is the key to their success.

Instead of just curating children’s clothing and accessories, Rogers, alongside her two daughters for whom the boutique is named, is designing pieces for their brand. The mother homeschools the two girls, River and Rai, so much time is spent in the store learning how to take inventory, order products and merchandise their wares.

Meanwhile, Anderson is eyeing the potential for more locations, enhanced partnerships and perhaps even franchising.

And while it’s not all sequins, the entrepreneurs weave real-life lessons learned into their tale, from those of motherhood and sisterhood to the notion that life does not end with divorce.

“Reality is that we go through challenges in life… sometimes life takes turns we don’t expect,” said Anderson. “I’m happy that God allowed me to connect with her because she’s also a reminder of how far I’ve come, you know, and that everything that I went through, it wasn’t wasted. It had a purpose.”

“I’m really thankful for our friendship, our partnership. And we are able now to just create whatever story that we want,” said Rogers, adding, “Makes me emotional.”