The Southern Mercantile

What The Southern Mercantile does

The Southern Mercantile is a privately held, founder-owned direct-to-consumer e-commerce retailer operating under a Southern lifestyle brand. Founded in 2015 by Roxie Crain — a UGA Fine Arts graduate with ~20 years of retail experience — the business is based in Fitzgerald, Georgia, and curates Southern-themed merchandise including devotional books, home goods, kitchenware, accessories, and apparel. The technical foundation is a Shopify-powered online storefront with standard payment integrations (Shop Pay, Apple Pay, PayPal, major card networks) and shipping via UPS or USPS, with free shipping on orders over $100. The company also publishes an extensive editorial content library spanning recipes, gardening tutorials, party planning, hospitality, and personal faith-based stories ("From The Heart"), which serves as the primary marketing channel and is amplified through Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube.

The business model is straightforward unit-priced DTC e-commerce with no subscription, marketplace, or wholesale distribution of meaningful scale. Revenue is generated through individual product purchases at fixed prices (e.g., $15 devotional, $23 glass juicer) shipping within five business days. The customer base is segmented into two horizontal personas: Southern Living Enthusiasts (women and families drawn to Southern culture, traditions, hospitality, and faith-based values) and Gift Buyers purchasing for showers, weddings, and holidays. Geographic focus is the Southeast US, with no evidence of international or expanded-domestic operations. The physical retail location in downtown Fitzgerald, GA closed in 2025, and the company is now pursuing special pop-ups and art sales as a lower-overhead physical engagement format.

The company has no external capital, no institutional backing, and no parent organization. The most material strategic operational extension is the embedded Fourth Street Design partnership, which adds in-house interior design services, wallcoverings, and home decor consultation. The "Purchase with Purpose" charitable program ties the brand to community and faith-based missions, reinforcing the lifestyle positioning. Headcount is reported at 1–10 employees, indicating a small, founder-led operation with limited organizational scale.

Name

The Southern Mercantile

Legal name

The Southern Mercantile

Website

https://southernmercantile.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Southern Mercantile is a privately held, founder-owned Shopify e-commerce retailer founded in 2015 by Roxie Crain in Fitzgerald, Georgia, curating Southern-themed home goods, books, kitchenware, and accessories for Southern lifestyle enthusiasts and gift buyers across the Southeast US, supported by an editorial blog and an in-house Fourth Street Design partnership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Lifestyle E-commerce Retail

NAICS

General Merchandise Retailers (455)

SIC

Retail-Variety Stores (5331)

akta.pro primary industry

Regional Catalog & Direct-to-Consumer Department Store Retailers (CRAGAFAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Local Artisan, Handmade & Craft Gifts Retail (CRALAJAL)

Keywords

• Southern lifestyle retail
• Curated home goods
• Online boutique store
• Devotional book sales
• Kitchen accessories retail

Headquarters

HQ city

Fitzgerald

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Retail E-commerce Sales: Direct-to-consumer sales of curated Southern goods including home decor, accessories, books, kitchen items, and food products through the Shopify-powered online store.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Southern Mercantile operates an online direct-to-consumer store selling a curated assortment of Southern-themed merchandise, including devotional books, kitchen items, home decor, and accessories. The Shopify-powered storefront is paired with an owned content library (Recipes, Parties, Gardening, Tutorials, Hospitality, From The Heart) that promotes the Southern lifestyle brand, supplemented by in-house design services through the Fourth Street Design Studio partnership.

Product overview

The Southern Mercantile is a single e-commerce retail store offering a curated collection of Southern goods, stories, and recipes. Founded in 2015 by Roxie Crain, the business operates as a Shopify-powered online store (with a now-closed brick-and-mortar location in Fitzgerald, GA) selling Southern-themed merchandise including devotional books, home goods, and kitchenware. The store also features extensive blog content covering recipes, gardening tips, party planning, hospitality, and tutorials related to Southern living. Additionally, the company offers in-house interior design services through a partnership with Fourth Street Design Studio, providing wallcoverings and home decor options. The business maintains a mission-focused approach, supporting various charitable causes through its 'Purchase with Purpose' program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• You Got This: 90 Devotions to Equip and Empower Hardworking Women A 90-day devotional book by Melissa Horvath of Sweet Water Decor, designed to equip and empower hardworking women through daily scripture passages and inspirational messages; priced at $15.00 USD.
• Glass Juicer A vintage-style glass juicer for juicing oranges and lemons in a stylish manner; priced at $23.00 USD.
• Fourth Street Design Studio (In-house Design Services) Interior design services and access to wallcoverings and home decor options, offered in partnership with Lisa Eldridge through Fourth Street Design, with the studio housed inside The Southern Mercantile.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Fourth Street DesigncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFourth Street Design Studio is housed inside The Southern Mercantile, offering in-house design services and access to beautiful wallcoverings and home decor options. The partnership with founder Lisa Eldridge, a mentor and friend of owner Roxie Crain, represents a strategic expansion of services. Lisa and Roxie's shared history dates back to 2001 when they co-founded a florist business called 'Occasions' and later opened The Shoppes at Fourth and Cherry.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Sweet Water Decor: A small DTC brand selling hand-lettered home decor, prints, and accessories with a faith-based, feminine aesthetic. Shares The Southern Mercantile's combination of inspirational content, devotional books, and curated home goods.
• The Pioneer Woman (Ree Drummond): Ree Drummond's multi-category brand spans cookbooks, kitchenware, home goods, and lifestyle content sold through a dedicated Walmart storefront. Comparable to The Southern Mercantile in pairing personal storytelling and recipes with curated kitchen and home merchandise.
• Magnolia Market: Chip and Joanna Gaines' Magnolia brand sells curated home, garden, and lifestyle goods both online and through its Waco flagship. It competes in the same Southern-rooted, lifestyle-curated home goods category and shares The Southern Mercantile's blend of content storytelling with retail.
• Frontgate: Direct-to-consumer retailer of upscale home furnishings, outdoor living, and entertaining essentials. Comparable in its curated DTC catalog of home and entertaining goods targeting an aspirational Southern/traditional customer profile.
• Magnolia (Brand): Includes Magnolia's online home, kitchen, and lifestyle store. Direct overlap in curated home and lifestyle assortment with a strong Southern-inspired brand narrative.

Emerging players

• Etsy: An online marketplace aggregating independent sellers of handmade, vintage, and curated home and gift goods. Competes with The Southern Mercantile for shoppers seeking unique, locally-inspired gifts and Southern-themed items, though Etsy does not produce its own content.

Broad incumbents

• Anthropologie: A national specialty retailer offering curated apparel, home furnishings, decor, and gifts with a lifestyle-driven aesthetic. Overlaps directly with The Southern Mercantile's home and gift assortment, though it serves a much broader customer base.
• Crate & Barrel: National specialty retailer of kitchenware, home furnishings, and entertaining goods with strong gift and entertaining assortments. Overlaps with The Southern Mercantile's kitchen and home entertaining product lines at a much larger scale.
• Mark & Graham: Williams-Sonoma-owned personalized gifts and home accessories brand selling curated, monogram-friendly home goods and gifts. Comparable assortment breadth and gift-led positioning.

Regional players

• Swoozie's: A specialty boutique retailer historically focused on Southern lifestyle apparel, gifts, and home goods across the Southeast. Direct overlap in product categories, though historically multi-store rather than online-only.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCVQTgggfWvAjRdrbU60EEBg
• Instagraminstagram.com/thesouthernmerc
• Pinterestpinterest.com/thesouthernmerc
• Xx.com/thesouthernmerc
• Facebookfacebook.com/thesouthernmercantile
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-southern-mercantile

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Southern Mercantile