Business & Tech

Evelyn Jane Boutique Draws Customers Seeking Distinctive Items At Fair Price Point

The Downers Grove Chamber of Commerce will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday to celebrate one of the village's newest businesses, Evelyn Jane Boutique.

Last summer, before she was certain she wanted to open her shop, Evelyn Jane Boutique, Amy Brown began participating in French Markets around the area, bringing artisan made products to shoppers.

She built connections with local artisans, learned what customers liked and in the process realized opening her own shop was the next logical step.

“It was a great test for me for learning the ropes and buying pieces from artisans, which is not like buying wholesale, it’s a little more free form. It was really eye opening and a good experience,” she said.

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In April, Brown, a Downers Grove native and Westmont resident, opened Evelyn Jane Boutique located at 1008 Curtiss St., in downtown Downers Grove.

Since opening, word of mouth has helped raise the shop’s visibility, she said. The Downers Grove Area Chamber of Commerce will hold a ribbon-cutting Thursday at 5 p.m. to celebrate the store’s opening.

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The boutique, named in part after Brown’s grandmother Evelyn, offers artisan made products, at a variety of price points, making items attainable to most customers. In addition, the boutique also offers some one-of-a-kind pieces at higher price points, which make great options for special occasion purchases, she said. The boutique’s offerings range from jewelry to scarves, bags to home interior items.

Brown chose Downers Grove because of her familiarity with the community, but also because the downtown’s varied businesses have made it a great shopping destination.

“I am thrilled with the way things have been going so far,” Brown said. “We certainly started out with some really strong sales, and of course sales are really important, but even more so is the feedback I am getting from customers.”

Many customers who have moved to Downers Grove and adjacent suburbs have told Brown the store has the urban feel of shops they visited in the city. Others have said they appreciate the boutique’s reasonable price points.

“They say ‘Your store doesn’t feel like it’s just overflowing with things, I can walk around, I can see things.’ People have commented on how well edited it is,” Brown said.

After working at Crate & Barrel for 15 years, Brown decided to leave last summer. During her career with the company she learned just about every aspect of the retail business from management to merchandising. That experience would be invaluable once she decided to open her own boutique, she said.

Merchandising taught her the importance of creating collections and having displays tell a story, which her customers seem to relate to.

“One of my concerns before the shop was open was will I be able to fill this space, keeping it filled with artisan made products,” Brown said. “It’s a resounding yes. People really want to buy local and support the small producer, because it gives you a higher quality item and they are supporting a cottage industry. … They want things that are relevant to fashion, but want to be different enough that you can’t find it everywhere.”

Evelyn Jane Boutique is located at 1008 Curtiss St. Learn more online and find them on Facebook


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