Get Noticed with Fashion-Forward Downtown Divas

28 Oct

Downtown Divas, 1001 Park St., Five Points in Riverside

As a high-school teen, Stephanie Betts loved to shop at the original Downtown Divas in Melbourne, Florida with its trendy fashions and down-to-earth prices. Stephanie dreamed of running her own store as she honed her retail fashion skills at national retailers, Dillard’s and Pier 1 Imports. Although her love of animals initially led her to a full-time career as a surgical veterinary nurse, Stephanie’s dream of being her own boss persisted for over a decade. Yet she finally realized her goal, opening a Downtown Diva store two years ago in Riverside’s Five Points, along with her husband, Tim. Like many women today, she juggles several roles as wife, mother of a six-year old, surgical veterinary nurse and business owner.

With her big smile and bubbly energy, Stephanie chats animatedly about the fun of bringing in new clothes “selecting what you like” to share with her customers. The store stocks distinctive clothing and fashion accessories from both national brands and local designers, including Nicole Lee, ElegantLee (Pink) Underground, Samantha Meritt, AlaArt and Manisha Joshi, Sunisha Designs. Stephanie encourages her clientele to “take a little more of a risk with color” and add fun accents, like hats, to their wardrobes. But she adds that “the little black dress is always in style.” She adds that many shoppers are surprised at the reasonable prices on unique, metropolitan fashions at Downtown Divas. “We like to say that we offer “boutique brands without boutique prices.” 

The owners promote a “casual, laid back style” in their store where patrons can freely browse and try on diverse fashions and accessories without the hassles of aggressive sales staff. Despite the lagging economy, Stephanie exudes optimism and counsels patience to other new entrepreneurs growing young businesses.  She believes that you have to be happy in whatever you are doing to be successful and that it is better to go for it than be filled with “what if” regrets. 

The Betts regularly host various “Meet the Artist (or Designer)” events to highlight talented local fashion creators. The retail team also looks forward to their annual participation in events, such as the Riverside Wine Festival, Five Points Spring Fest and the Southern Women’s Show where friends and models walk the runaway in fashions from Downtown Divas.  The co-owners are also supporters of Breast Cancer Awareness and the Jacksonville Humane Society which pleases shop dogs, Crush and Minnie. 

For fashionistas looking to be noticed for their distinctive fashion sense, stop by Downtown Divas at 1001 Park Street, contact them at 904-683-0514, by e-mail at info@jaxdivas.com or friend them on Facebook. 

–BridgesDelPonte, www.bridgesdelponte.com

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That Poor Girl Is Rich in Style

10 Oct

Tori Poor, Co-Owner,
That Poor Girl

Style is the buzzword at That Poor Girl. Co-owners Tori Poor and Linda Blake stock their cozy King Street store at Whiteway Corner with an eclectic blend of vintage clothing, fashion jewelry and unique accessories to complement your modern wardrobe. When we meet on Friday afternoon, Tori is dressed in a black baby doll peignoir set accented with a gold belt and snow leopard ballet shoes, adding her contemporary flair to this classic look. Her sense of style dispels the myth that vintage clothing means outdated fashions or is intended only to be worn as costumes. “You can put a vintage top with a modern skirt and put chunky heels on and you’ve got something walking down the runway,” the trendy stylist advises. “There are so many things you can do with vintage. It can be new.” 

 Having grown up with parents active in estate sales and antiques, Tori has long appreciated and collected diverse clothing and accessories from the past. Since her teenaged years, Tori shared fond memories of spending time searching for unique fashions and hearing stories about vintage clothing she bought at funky second-hand shops, like Time Warp, formerly in Riverside’s Five Points. When that shop closed, she began her own quest to keep vintage designs and their back stories alive for other young fashionistas. “It’s not just old clothes or thrift stores. Vintage clothing has a story behind it. If you pick out a dress, I probably know the story behind it,” said Tori. Originally, she sold pieces from her treasure trove at her parents’ store, including their current shop, A Champions Consignment, before branching off to her own store with her business partner. United by their shared sense of style, Tori credits Linda’s business sense and financial support with helping her to further channel her creative talents as they launched their enterprise. They learned about the availability of the intimate King Street space through Craig’s List and jumped at the chance to start their business small, growing it over time. Longer-term, they hope to expand their retailing efforts online through eBay for vintage clothing and Etsy for hand-crafted accessories. 

Currently, these two retailers are often busy styling photo shoots at Brasil + West Photography or providing unique fashions for budding Jacksonville photographers, filmmakers and models for “Test Shoot Tuesdays” at Bubble Wrap Studio. When the duo tends their shop, they favor a relaxed atmosphere and enjoy sharing stories behind each fashion item or accessory with their customers. They appreciate the diversity of the King Street scene, including a customer who seeks out fun accessories for his fashionable Jack Russell Terrier. “There are so many interesting people who walk by here. I love it,” adds Tori. The boutique also promotes local artists including original acrylic paintings by Sebastian “Troy” Pierre and hand-made jewelry, hair bows and rings by Shantel Niblock and Anthony Danes (both are on Facebook). For other young retailers, Tori notes that it is important “to stay motivated. You have to push yourself and stay focused. Stay open for as long as you can, be here as often as you can. And keep following your instincts. For me, if I see something that inspires me I am going to run with it. Don’t ignore inspiration.”

Oct. 13 – Upcoming Charity
Photoshoot Contest

These talented stylists are supporters of local charities, including Girls Rock Camp, which provides opportunities for young girls, ages 9 to 16, to participate in workshops on music, creativity, songwriting, peer collaboration, and confidence-building. They are also looking forward to styling contestants in a 1960s/1970s-themed Charity Photoshoot Contest, organized and hosted by model Sarah Ann Smith, Manikin Model and Talent Agency, on October 13. Local photographers, Brasil + West Photography and Daryna Barykina will be taking photos of up-and-coming professional and amateur models with the winners helping to direct proceeds to local charities along with being awarded fun prizes.

If you are looking to make that one-of-a-kind fashion statement, to enhance your daily wardrobe or to receive professional styling for a special event or creative portfolio, make an appointment with the gifted team at That Poor Girl. Call them at 904-525-0490, stop by 1504 King Street at Whiteway Corner, or friend them on Facebook.

 –Bridges DelPonte - www.bridgesdelponte.com

 

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Bonne Nuit Offers Sweet Dreams for Every Shopper

18 Jul

Quiet sophistication at
Bonne Nuit

Delicate candles scents and pastel colors with black-and-white accents transport guests into a tranquil environment at Bonne Nuit, “good night” in French.  A twelve-year veteran of the Shoppes of Avondale, the mother-daughter team of owner, Karen Johnston, and manager, Jennifer Perkins, built a strong customer following for their sophisticated lingerie shop by offering pastel feminine lingerie alongside fun fashion colors in bras and accessories.  The store’s knowledgeable staff offers personalized customer service, including hard-to-find personal bra fittings, for “all different shapes and sizes” notes store associate, Caroline Steedley.  She points out that lingerie “can be very sophisticated and pretty.  It doesn’t have to reveal too much, and can just be comfortable while you sleep.”

Owner Karen Johnston with shop mascot, Webster

In a challenging economy, Bonne Nuit moved its storefront across the street last year, more than doubling its retail space.  Steedley is pleased about the expansion.  “It has really been fabulous to be a part of a business that has grown during the recession,” she said.  Their larger location makes room for a fine selection of home décor, linens from Le Jacquard Français and bedding from Yves Delorme along with colorful fashion accessories and delightful infant apparel from Orange Park’s Brown Owl Designs.

Despite its growth, Steedley notes that Bonne Nuit continues to provide a relaxed shopping experience with quality goods at a wide range of price points.  “We have gift items as low as nine dollars up to bedding at a couple of hundred dollars,” she adds.  The store regularly provides 20 percent off its bedding and free gift wrap for all of your special purchases. “Fine gift wrap is almost a lost art,” says Steedley.  In addition, Bonne Nuit welcomes patrons to schedule private parties with wine and snacks from neighbor W90+and offers fashion previews with special trunk shows.With Bonne Nuit’s expansion, its owner and staff are developing an enhanced online presence with the launch of a new website that will host a regular newsletter showcasing product arrivals, a store blog with fashion and home furnishing tips and a fan page for the store’s mascot, Webster, a friendly English Labrador.  Steedley credits Bonne Nuit’s continuing success to “a really loyal customer base.  We’re very fortunate to have the support of the neighborhood.”

Caroline Steedley & Lawson Armes in new linen section

But community support is a two-way street as Bonne Nuit which has been active in local charity events with the Avondale Merchants Association, the Ronald MacDonald House of Jacksonville and Riverside Presbyterian Day School. To keep up with this growing retailer, stop by their store at 3579 St. Johns Avenue, (904) 389-2403, visit their website, www.shopbonnenuit.com, or friend them on Facebook.

Jax Cash Mob Rallies In San Marco on Saturday, June 30th, 11am

29 Jun

cashmob

The Jax Cash Mob is invading San Marco Square Saturday June 30th with a band of mobbers who all want to shop local.

Take your community’s economic future in your hands and demonstrate your support for local small business owners. When you buy local, our community gets more for it’s money. Nearly 70% of the money spent at locally-owned small businesses stays within the local Jacksonville economy.

Pizza Palace is the meetup spot where at 11AM the cash mob site will be unveiled. Mobbers will then head to the location and each spend between $10 and $20 as a demonstration of your support to the buy local movement. Afterwards, post-mob drinks and socializing will be held at Pizza Palace at 12:30pm. Mobbers are free to discover the many wonderful stores that make up the San Marco Square business district.

What is a cash mob?
A cash mob is a group of people who assemble at a local business and all buy items from that business. The purpose of these mobs is to support both the local businesses and the overall community. Think of the cash mob as a “shop local” flash mob created to spur local economic stimulus! The ten dollars demonstrates your personal commitment and effort to support a local independent retailer while having fun doing it as a part of a larger group. Cash mobs also have a social and community-building component as the interaction between community-minded individuals that meet at these events has a multiplier effect that breeds new projects and contacts.

How do I participate?
Here are the rules:
1. Show up at Pizza Palance at 11AM. Pizza Palace is located at 1959 San Marco Blvd.
2. Spend $10-$20 at a local store (we’ll reveal the store at 1pm)
3. Get connected!  Take the opportunity to connect with others in our community interested in Going LO by meeting three new people at the event.

Why cash mob?
When we buy local, from local businesspeople, wealth is both created and retained in the community. Think of what an impact we can all have on our community by simply choosing to shop local. We each do a little. We all do a lot.

~Contributed by MySanMarco.com

 

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