DELL RAPIDS, S.D. (KELO) – A local boutique has a mission that goes far beyond clothes.
The Brown and Theel families are inseparable and it’s all because of a bond made 20 years ago between Haley Brown and Paige Theel.
“We declared our best friendship in 2nd grade,” Brown said.
Throughout their friendship, they had a dream of running a business together.
“So after she had Willow and I had Kai, we were talking and coming up with a baby clothing boutique because everything has dinosaurs and stuff like that, that I think is kind of ugly (laughs),” Theel said.
“We kind of dreamed of the idea and then, a lot of talk, not a lot of action and pretty soon life happened and we kind of forgot,” Brown said.
Then tragedy struck.
“After Kai got sick, we were like, kind of life’s too short,” Paige Theel said.
In 2021, Theel’s son, Kai, got sick at just five months old.
“They admitted him to the hospital because he was just very lethargic and not himself at all. So we got admitted to the hospital on Monday,” Theel said. “Later that night, he started seizing and we went to the ICU, they did a bunch of tests and he had meningitis. So, from there is kind of all down hill. He had a stroke, meningitis and from there it’s just, he didn’t get better. So, a few days later we made the call to let him go to God.”
A decision no parent should have to make.
“Ever since Kai passed away, it’s like, I didn’t realize how many children actually get sick until going through something like this,” Theel said. “I feel like you just say, ‘oh that’s sad,’ and kind of move along and don’t really like think about it. But after going through this it’s very sad how many people do lose children and the affect it has on their life and everyday.”
As a way to help families with similar stories and keep Kai’s name alive, Theel and Brown started Kai Rose & Co.
“It is a gender-neutral baby boutique-ish,” Brown said. “What you dress your son in, you can dress your daughter in and throw a bow on. We have some of our own custom stuff that we use the proceeds of that to donate back to families that have had either child loss, in the hospital, just anything we can do to donate back to people that have suffered.”
“Very rewarding, I think, just to know that people can still think of him in some way,” Theel said. “That aspect alone, just to know that he’s not forgotten, I think, is very comforting.”
Beyond the clothes and donations, they are also always willing to personally be there for other families.
“We’re here. DM us on Instagram, whatever they want,” Theel said. “We’re here to talk because I think that was the biggest thing going through that is, being able to talk to someone is, I think, it helped us the most as a family to know we’re not alone.”
Theel has this advice for any family struggling right now:
“Believe in tomorrow. I know it doesn’t seem like it and you think you’re never going to get through it but there is better days ahead,” Theel said. “Looking back, you feel like you aren’t ever going to get through it. You just got to find the positives and if it’s a step one of just getting out of bed for the day, that’s good enough.”
The ‘Rose’ in the Kai Rose & Co name comes from Kai’s June birth flower.
The boutique is mostly online, but right now they are a featured vendor at the Makers Exchange in Tea.
