Anderson Parker carries over 80 different children's clothing brands. (Courtesy Anderson Parker)
Children's boutique Anderson Parker has brought a variety of baby and children’s clothes, gifts items, monogramming services and more to Westlake and the surrounding communities since March 2025.
A family affair
Owner Michael McCollum Adams and her family moved from Washington D.C. to Austin in 2023. After 16 years of working in politics, Adams decided to shift to something “a little more lighthearted” with her stepmother Meredith McCollum.
“I decided to partner with her and come up with this new brand of a boutique and embroidery service to bring to Westlake,” Adams said. “I felt like we were missing a baby boutique in Westlake. ... Once I kind of realized I was ready to take a step back from politics and do something a little bit more lighthearted and fun, Anderson Parker came to life.”
Meredith McCollum, left, and Michael McCollum Adams. (Courtesy Anderson Parker)
The store is named after Adams’ oldest daughter Anderson, whose middle name comes from Adams’ younger brother Parker McCollum, a country music singer.
“I always knew one day I would do something with my first daughter's name,” Adams said. “I always thought Anderson Parker sounded kind of like a clothing brand or a store.”
What they offer
The boutique carries over 80 different children's clothing brands such as Courtside Kids, Properly Tied and Little English, which feature boys and girls tops, bottoms, pajama sets, swimwear and outerwear.
“I personally have put my children for the last eight years in each brand that we carry,” Adams said. “I never carry a brand that I don't wholeheartedly know inside and out, where it's manufactured, how it's made, what it feels like, if it lasts, and what the price point is. ... We pride ourselves on comfort first, because I think getting your child to wear what you want them to wear at a young age is ten times easier if they're comfortable.”
Along with clothing, the store sells seasonal gift items and is one of the largest retailers for travel products such as wipeable vinyl-lined backpacks, bottle bags, diaper bags and more.
The store also carries a variety of seasonal gift items. (Courtesy Anderson Parker)
Meredith McCollum also operates the monogramming side of the business, taking at least 100 monogram orders a week. The store specializes in monogramming in-house products such as baby blankets and onesies, and Adams said customers can expect around a one-week turnaround time.
“When I came up with this idea [Meredith] was like, ‘I will buy a machine, I will teach myself how to do it,’” Adams said. “She ended up going to Miami to a weeklong retreat to kind of perfect her craft. I would say that [in] about October 2024 she was full steam ahead embroidering for people to practice by the time we opened in March.”
Staying local
Anderson Parker’s clientele is currently about 70% in-store and 30% online, which is largely driven by the store’s Instagram presence, Adams said. However, the goal is to acquire more square footage to be able to expand the business’ offerings to an older age range.
“The good thing about children's clothes is that 9 times out of 10 people come into our store [and] they're not shopping for one person,” Adams said. “It's not like shopping for yourself. ... We're a multiple customer at a time shop, which is very helpful in the children's clothing industry. We're able to maximize our volume every day.”
The store’s location has also been a key part of its success, Adams said.
“When people ask me how it's going, I always just tell them that Westlake moms came out and have shopped,” Adams said. “We are busy all day, every day.”
