Willie Otey Kay
For more than 60 years, Willie Virginia Otey Kay created elegant, custom gowns which made her one of North Carolina’s most sought after clothing designers. Born at 125 West Cabarrus Street, she was the youngest of eight children. Kay graduated from Shaw University in 1912 with a degree in Home Economics, winning the school’s dressmaking competition along the way.
She married John Walcott Kay and moved to Wilmington, but after his death in 1927, she returned to Raleigh with five children to support. With help from her sisters, Josephine, Inez, Gloria, Constance, and June, she opened her own dressmaking business. The Otey name soon became known across the state for fine formal wear, serving both Black and white clients.
Kay remained deeply connected to her faith as a lifelong member of Saint Ambrose Episcopal Church. Her children later honored her legacy by dedicating a stained-glass window in her memory.
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