By Darragh Doiron

The News staff writer

GROVES — The silhouette in the sunset is unmistakable. The stately man and hoop-skirted woman are framed by a plantation in the distance.

Cheryll Moreau confirms speculation on the mural on her new Groves store: it’s Rhett Butler and Scarlet O’Hara of “Gone with the Wind” fame, in an orange sky framing Tara.

“It’s because I think I’m Scarlett,” Moreau, who has the scene painted on her new Groves business, said. “I probably have a lot of her attributes, or character defects. I just think she was resourceful … diligent.”

Resourceful seems an apt description of Moreau, who originally feared that Hurricane Ike took her Crystal Beach home, rent home and business, as well as her Bridge City home. An Ike evacuation flip actually did destroy their motor home, but she and husband, Mike, obtained another in Dallas on their way back home from Arkansas.

Moreau is opening Hannah Bay’s on Lincoln Avenue in Groves, a high-end clothing, jewelry and shoe shop like she had at the beach. She plans to be open for business in time for First Friday in Groves, the family fun night set for 6 to 9 p.m. along Lincoln Avenue.

Hannah Bay’s is a moniker she created based on her grandchildren’s names. Featuring wood-look floors, an eye-popping multicolored chandelier and the Tara mural, the store will be just one part of the building she calls Maison d’Amis. There will be room for six other vendors to rent, each with a unique design space. A spiral staircase leads to the upstairs of the unit, totaling 10,000 square feet. A photographer and printer have already signed on, Moreau said.

The building is going up in part of what was the former Dryden’s department store, a landmark on Lincoln Avenue. Moreau said she remembers shopping there as a girl.

She’s had more retail experience with her family’s store, Roy’s Western Wear. There she helped her late father, Lester Badgett, fit folks for Justin boots. Her store will feature Jessica Simpson boots and Yellow Box shoes.

In Houston, Moreau owned a staffing company. When she moved to the beach, she said she opened her clothing shop to “have something to do and to meet people.” It was a success, even in the small community of Crystal Beach, until Ike.

When watching news coverage of the beach community and Bridge City, she said the couple did not expect happy news upon their return.

“We really didn’t think we had any home left,” she said.

While they did lose nearly all of their beach property, the Bridge City home was built on a flood plain, so they were able to live on the second floor while the home received repairs.

When the clothier urge hit again, Moreau said she looked at several areas, but found the Groves area welcoming and found the city’s Economic Development Corporation offering advantageous incentives for business owners.

“It just felt right to be here,” Moreau said, as she, also stood in front of the mural of Tara.

ddoiron@panews.com