Carter’s Corner Boutique – Where Inclusion Meets Style

Have you ever started speaking to someone and feel like you were meant to cross paths with them? I was struck by this bolt of destiny when I first spoke with Alex G, fellow autism mom and founder of Carter’s Corner Boutique. Social media has allowed me to make connections with so many other parents and caregivers of children with autism, and I feel extremely blessed to have met Alex. She recently started a clothing line inspired by her precious son, Carter, in order to spread autism awareness and acceptance. Not only is she working full time in the mental health sector, but she is also a dedicated mother, and now entrepreneur. 

Alex started noticing atypical behavior in her son Carter around the age of one. Her husband, a pediatric nurse, also saw a difference in the development of their son. As parents of autistic children know, the evaluation and diagnosis process is daunting and time consuming. “Throughout this journey I felt very alone, and very isolated,” Alex said. “I have the best family in the world and they were so supportive—but you just don’t get it, if you don’t get it.”

As Alex began to process her son’s diagnosis and provide him with the best therapies and interventions, she wanted to find a community who understood what she and her family were going through. Where did she find that community? Instagram of course!

“I started following other parents of autistic children, and I was really inspired by them,” she said, “I thought, ‘WOW there’s other people out there who are going through this. We are all going through this together.’ I felt less alone. I felt hope at a time where I didn’t have any.” 

With the encouragement of her friends, family, and coworkers, Alex made a plan to open up Carter’s Corner Boutique. Her goal was to start a small side business that would bring awareness to the masses and help her give back to the autism community. Once she made the announcement on Instagram, her account blew up, and thousands of people followed her in order to get a glimpse of what Carter’s Corner Boutique could offer. 

“It seems like overnight people started following,” she said, “I was not prepared for this!”

Advocacy apparel has become an important outlet for many diverse communities. Consumers are also becoming more intentional of where their money is going and are supporting companies that are giving back to those in need. 

“It doesn’t matter if we make anything, just being able to put it out there and educate people [is the most important thing],” Alex said, “People, well our society in general, are extremely uneducated on autism.”

Autism is such a complex diagnosis, and no two autistic individuals are the same. There are many misconceptions in our society of what autism is and how autism is presented in individuals. With 1 in 36 children receiving an ASD diagnosis, millions within our communities are living their lives on the spectrum. Our society needs to learn how to be more inclusive of autistic individuals and accept how neurodiversity makes our communities richer. Alex hopes to achieve that with her apparel line. 

Business has been increasing rapidly for Alex since her launch in early August 2023. She is already planning 4-6 launches of different apparel per year, as well as expanding the types of merchandise she would like to offer. (I have ordered MANY shirts from Carter’s Corner Boutique in the short time they have been up and running, and can assure you that the quality and price point is ideal, and the designs are perfect for everyday wear.) 

Alex wants her store’s offerings to remain unique, and provide merchandise that stays true to who she is. But one shirt in particular has set Alex’s shop apart from others—Carter’s own artwork graces one of the kids t-shirts and is already appearing to be one of the bestsellers. Alex fell so in love with one of Carter’s handprint dinosaurs that she decided to put it on a shirt. She had an artist trace everything to preserve its authenticity. Not only is the shirt adorable, but it also shows the encouragement present in this family’s house and all of the celebrations for strides that Carter makes each day. 

While Alex is in the beginning stages of her entrepreneurial journey, she has thought about the future a great deal. She is planning to donate proceeds to those who are involved with the autism community within her home state of Florida, but she has even grander plans. Because of her work with the special needs population in regards to mental health, Alex would love to create a space that helps guide families through the diagnosis and therapy process.

It is confusing and overwhelming to process all of the steps needed to get our children the help they deserve, and Alex wants to help those families walking this walk after her. I proudly wear my Carter’s Corner Boutique shirts knowing the difference the Alex’s family is making in our community. I can’t wait to see what is in store for Alex, and her own store next!

Visit Carter’s Corner Boutique to purchase your advocacy wear and use discount code advocate10 for 10% off your purchase!