Connections! in SW Florida - Featuring Jennifer Johnson with True Fashionista

Well, Jennifer, I don't know about you, but it's Friday and that music made me kind of want to dance.

Yes, it did.

Welcome and thank you for joining us on what I've called Connections, Connections in Southwest Florida. My name is Renee Hahn. And what I've— my intent with these 30-minute interviews was to be able to showcase some of our local businesses because I think we can all agree COVID kind of hit us right upside the head and we've had to think about how during these challenging times we're going to do business different, right? It's— I can't think of a single business that hasn't had to think differently. And although we're starting to see signs that some relief is coming. At least I hope that's the vibe. Um, you know, I, I think it's still important to give businesses like yours an opportunity to get visibility. I don't know about you, but I, I hear about new businesses all the time, and social media is a great platform for that, particularly when we've got these masses out there with time on their hands and the need to connect, and they're doing it through social media. So I am really excited to invite Jennifer Johnson today with True Fashionistas. You've been hearing me talk about it all week long. She's coming, um, and I'm honored to have you here. So Jennifer, give us a little bit of an introduction about yourself, please.

Well, thank you, Renee. I'm honored to be here. Um, thank you for inviting me. So, um, Jennifer Johnson and my husband and I, our family owns True Fashionistas, and We are a designer resale store for men, women, and children. My husband and I moved here with our twins who are now 14 and in 9th grade. We moved here almost 12 years ago from Minnesota. And we live in Naples, our kids go to school in Naples, and we're rooted in the community here in Naples. And our store, Tru Fashionistas, is 10 years old. And we have the clothing store, which is for men, women, and children. And we also have accessories such as handbags and shoes and jewelry, but we also have a home store. So we have gone from, you know, just clothing and fashion to more of a lifestyle brand because we have incorporated the home, home of fashion, 'cause it's all part of fashion.

Well, and we're gonna talk about that, but before we leave who Jennifer Johnson is, I just wanna share, you know, one of the things I love about the opportunities to connect like this is we get to know the people behind the products and the services. And I find so much inspiration in that. And I had the opportunity to live in somewhat close proximity to Jennifer. And I have to share, she is one of the most giving people. I had had a nasty, accident. And lo and behold, and I'm, you know, I can't go out in public because I had this thing on my nose. Gross. And Jennifer showed up with fresh baked cookies straight to my heart. And that's a small example, but it's just, you know, didn't say a word. She just saw me post about my unfortunate experience and there showed up cookies. So if you don't have a chance to get to know her, Beyond her business, I'd be remiss if I didn't share that not only is she a successful and innovative and committed and talented business leader, she is just a salt of the earth good person. Oh, thank you. Before we got onto the business, I wanna make sure, and I think many that are watching are going to echo that.

I'm known as the cookie lady.

Well, you're not allowed to come and visit me because I've been eating Bistro MD for 2 weeks now. My time is on pause. Oh, okay. Anyway, so Jennifer, talk to us. You gave a little bit of an intro about the business, but I want to go deeper. And let's start with, I'd love to hear your inspiration on, you know, where did the idea come from? What inspired you to start Tru Fashionistas? And then we'll segue into the broader business.

Sure. So growing— I grew up in Minnesota on a farm of— we had cows and pigs and you name it. I had 6 siblings. So we were very poor, did not have money to buy clothes. We didn't have money hardly to buy groceries. And the only way that we got clothes would be to go to garage sales. And I would go every Saturday with my grandma. We would go garage selling. And we would find things that, you know, maybe it had a hole in it or it didn't fit quite right. She would alter it. She would make it fit. But her and I would go and do this, and it would be something we did every single Saturday. And it's always stuck with me. I've always been the person that loves that. You know, you hear people say the thrill of the hunt and all that, but there's something in me that makes me want to do that. I remember playing with paper dolls growing up, and I remember going through— I know I'm dating myself, but Sears, the Sears catalog, the Montgomery Wards catalog. I would sit there, and I couldn't wait for the Christmas catalog to come out because I I would look and go, oh, I want that, I want that, and then write it all down and add it all up, and then, ugh, I know I can never get that, but I really want that. So I have a passion for it, and the good memories of garage selling with my grandma, it just all kind of goes full circle when we started Tru Fashionistas, really.

Well, I think I just heard you whisper, because I'm not kidding, I used to go through the magazines too. I would cut the pages out, and we also didn't have any money. I was raised by a single mom, and, you know, we just made do and I was loved a ton. But I would circle them, right? Yes. Garage sales. I had 5 months of bed rest with my youngest daughter. And it was the only thing I was like, Tom, can you just drive me around to the garage sales so I can look out the window? Telling you, you're my soul sister. Well, good. So you have that kind of predisposition to help repurpose things in life. And then you come to Naples. Tell me about the business and how you channeled that energy in the direction to create True Fashionistas.

Sure. Well, I realized when we moved here, there was really nothing quite like what we had started, what I had in my head as to what I wanted to do. You know, taking the high-end designer things like Chanel and Gucci and pairing them with White House Black Market and Ann Taylor. There was nothing that melded both. You were either one or you were the other. Well, I'm like, that doesn't make sense. Just because I want a Louis Vuitton bag doesn't mean that I don't want that White House Black Market dress. So, uh, we just kind of formulated what we wanted it to happen. And one day I just said, you know what, that's it, I'm doing it, we're doing it. I don't care what we're— we're just doing it. When I get an idea in my head, I want to run with it, and I do everything I possibly can to make sure that I can do it. And literally, that's That's basically what happened. And I channeled all of my, anything creative I had in my body to start this business and do what we're doing with it.

That's great. Well, and 10 years in, that's no easy feat because it's, you know, first of all, Naples can be a tough place to have a business. Absolutely. And to make it to the 10-year mark, I mean, unfortunately we see businesses start and go out within a 1 and 2-year period. So we need to make sure that COVID doesn't knock your ankles 'cause 10 years is a great accomplishment. So tell us a little bit and then we'll venture over to the HomeGoods side that you're in. But for now, let's talk for a moment about what, you know, tell us how your business model works. If people are interested in finding some of these luxury and even the tier below goods, There's obviously two parts to that, but talk to us about the consignment and, and what, what you look for when you're getting them in. Maybe just a little bit to help people that might have a need on the buying or the, um, the selling side.

Sure. So we're, we're what we call a hybrid store. So we do cash and we do consignment. So you bring your things into us freshly laundered or dry cleaned. They can be on hangers, it doesn't matter. We're not super picky with that. And we look for things that are in excellent condition, things that If they're trendy, they need to be within the last 3 years. If they're more classic, we really don't have a timeframe on that. Um, we inspect them to make sure that they're in excellent condition. And then if you're new to us, we'll give you both offers. When we do consignment, it's a 50/50 split. Cash is about 30% of what we price it at. All in all, the things that we take are priced at 60 to 80% off of regular retail. And what's nice is we have the store and then we also have an online component, which has really helped us dealing with our store being closed for a month and a half, that people could shop on our website. And we started that when we started the store. So, and people actually, just because you don't, you know, you go up north for the summer, let's say, that doesn't mean you still can't consign with us. We actually pay for you to ship your merchandise directly to us. So you just tell us what you have and we email you a label and you ship us your product. So there's many different facets to our business. That when you walk into that door at True Fashionistas, you don't have a clue that it goes that deep, if that makes sense.

No, that's incredibly helpful because I didn't even know that, and I've both consigned there and purchased there. So that's fantastic. So is there, you know, anything for people to think about? Obviously clean, obviously in good shape if they're bringing something by. Anything else in terms of, you know, I don't know, price point of things, anything that would be in or out as people bring their buckets of goods?

So the easier way to answer that would be the things that we don't take. There are certain brands that we don't take, and we don't take discount store merchandise. And when I say that, I'm like, Target, Walmart, JCPenney, Sears, Kohl's, those brands from those stores we don't take. So pretty much anything else we're open to. Anything from J.Crew and Taylor, your typical mall stores on up is what we would be interested in. And we're again, we're just looking for the style. Is it something that, you know, was popular 10 years ago? And I have a kind of funny saying. People come in and they're like, "Oh, but it's vintage or whatever." Vintage for us isn't necessarily 10 years old. We call that purgatory. It's in purgatory because it's not old enough to be vintage, yet it's not purchased within the last 3 years. So we just look to make sure it's something current, it's a current label, it's in excellent condition.

Well, and it makes perfect sense. The whole point of taking it is so that it can be purchased. So there's gotta be an interest and a demand for those things. What about, so you, I believe, are, how are you doing on inventory? Are you in a position where you guys are accepting more inventory? Are you full? What's that look like at this moment?

So we're always accepting inventory because we have several different facets of our business. We have the store, our online store, we have a huge eBay warehouse that we do eBay. So we're always accepting merchandise. And right now, especially because we've been selling stuff on our website again since we've been closed, so we're always definitely looking for inventory. And right now, Next week, the landscape is gonna look a little bit different because we're gonna be able to open. But right now we are taking drop-offs. We have contactless drop-offs. You call the store, let us know when you're coming, and we make it work. So we're definitely needing merchandise.

Okay, good. I saw somewhere you had some really cute Lilly Pulitzer masks.

Do you still have them? Yes! So that was a crazy thing. So a friend of mine, her sister made me a mask. And I saw that she's making them, like, oh my God, I love Lily. I mean, you gotta understand, and Renee, I know you can relate 'cause I'm sure your closet is not even— 75%, I can't believe I'm not wearing Lily today. 75% of probably each of our closets is Lily, if not more. So she was making these and I'm like, oh my gosh, I really want one. So she made me one and I put it on, I'm like, this is so cute. So through the three of us, we had the idea. I have tons of Lily fabric, and so she's sewing them, we're selling them. And we didn't really make it to be anything, or now we're not making money off of it or anything like that, but it's covering her cost to sew them and the cost of the fabric. And I'm just like, let's just spread some Lily love, because who doesn't love Lily? It's happy, it's fun. Let's make it into a mask. And I'm very— it's overwhelming how many we have.

I appreciate that. I got my first comment when I was wearing it showing properties, and people said, when I see you in your Lily dresses, it makes me feel like I'm in Florida. I'm like, ding, that is my new real estate uniform. But what a great idea how to innovate. So I imagine, although, you know, fewer people may be using masks, they're still asking us to. Do you still have those available if people want to purchase them?

We do, actually. It started out where we were saying, oh, go ahead and, you know, send us a message on Facebook that you want a mask. It got so out of control, I had to put a link up on our website to buy the masks. So now we're still fulfilling those because they can take 1 to 3 weeks to make because we have such a demand. So they are still available. You just need to go to our website. And place an order, and then as soon as they're back in, 'cause she makes them every day, then when this is over, they could be repurposed.

They'd make a really cute bonnet in the rain. You can put it around your ears.

That's right.

It is Lily after all. You could frame it. You could put it around your purse to keep—

There's a lot of things we could do with it.

I know. I know. Well, Jennifer, thank you for that. Let's segue for a minute. I wanna talk about, your newest location that you opened up. So tell us, both start us with the thought on what inspired you to open up that new place a few doors down, and then a little bit about the business, please.

Sure. So really, you know, ultimately when we started this, we had the vision of, okay, we're gonna do the clothing, but really we were thinking ahead in the future. What do we want this to look like? I mean, I am thinking so far as, okay, I want a cookbook and I want this and I want that, We are— really went to it with the approach of a lifestyle brand, which is why we started the furniture store a year ago. It's a year and a half old now, but that's why we started the furniture store, because the natural segue from fashion into your home, because really it's just fashion for your home. So that was really the inspiration of starting the, the furniture store. And it's just, it's such a, a neat thing to be involved with because it's It's the same people, but yet it's different people. It just attracts, you know, a whole different set of people that didn't know about our company before, and now they do. And it's nice that it can be in the same plaza.

Yeah, and tell us where that's located in case people don't know where that is.

So it's in the same plaza that we're in. It's suite number 402. So it's 2359 Vanderbilt Beach Road, suite 402.. And you'll see a huge True Fashionistas Home sign.

Yeah, and if you don't know where that's at, it sits on the corner of Airport Pulling and Vanderbilt Beach there. And on Saturdays they have the farmer's market and she's right tucked in there, both locations.

Yes, and you might even see my pink Volkswagen Beetle out in front. You never know.

Yeah, you can't miss that. That's why I always knew. Tell us a little bit about, we talked about the consignment part of the, the fashion side, the retail side of that. Talk to us about the home store and what types of items do you take? What, you know, what things are you maybe in need of? If somebody's thinking about consigning furniture, talk to us a little bit about how that works.

Sure, so at our home store, it is also a 50/50 split. If you have stuff that you want to consign with us, you'll send us an email with pictures beforehand so we know what we're looking at so we can approve them or not. And we're looking for things that are obviously updated. But we do, we don't do a lot with antiques. However, in, you know, in the very beginning, we were actually lucky enough to take the contents of a house that was built by Andrew Carnegie. Really cool stuff. But we're really looking for more transitional, contemporary, you know, kinds of things, things that you would want to have in your home. And it's everything from bedroom, you know, a bed, headboard and footboard to sofas and chairs and tables and artwork and things that you would use to decorate your home. Right now we have the most amazing piece. It's this big wooden trough with faux succulents in it. It's so cool. It's so awesome. Oh, accessories for your home as well. So kind of everything really.

I've seen that one you're talking about because I was in there. I picked up a lamp at your store, and then I picked up a couple of, they were like lantern containers with succulents in 'em. Oh yeah. I use 'em for my home staging. Okay, awesome. So obviously it's a little easier to bring a dress in and drop it off through Fashionistas. Tell 'em, you know, if somebody's got a really good couch, a dining table, how do they get it to you?

So if you're looking at consigning, first you'll send the email, and then from there if we say yes, Then we'll schedule movers, and you would actually pay the movers yourself to get it to us, but we'll just, we call movers, there's a few movers that we work with on a regular basis, and then they get it from you and they bring it to us. So we make it simple. And the other, excuse me, part about this whole thing is that everything in our home store is on our website, which is pretty awesome. I'm sorry, I have a tickle in my throat, of course.

And then I imagine something, is it, how does, do you have delivery? Is it the same thing where it's those same movers and they pay a delivery?

Exactly. That's exactly what we do for delivery.

Is it a flat fee or does it vary based on size of? I have some water here.

Oh my gosh, I'm telling you, I wish I would have water with me right now because I, of course, right? I get the tickle in my throat.

Well, if you need to get a drink, I can talk for hours.

I know you can, but I'm good. I may, if I have to, I'll let you know. But, um, so like the movers will, will contract movers as well, and then they, they pay them as well. So the payment is all on the customer side or the consignor side.

What do you find, um, and maybe it's hard to pinpoint, but what are the real hot sellers? Do you sell more like wood-like furniture, couches, what do you find just kind of goes off the shelves quick?

Accessories, by far and away. So like you were talking, the lamps, the little like lanterns and lamps. Now we don't do like lighting lighting, but we do lamps. So the lamps, the pillows, the— I call them tchotchkes, I don't know, whatever you want to call them, but home decorating accessories. Sell by far and away, just amazing. So those, and benches, that kind of thing, very popular.

Well, and you mentioned that you're, even though you've been able to continue to serve people through online and pickup, you're opening up Monday. So tell us a little bit about your business hours that will start on Monday, any, you know, extra things that people need to do different than in the normal state?

So yes, we're excited to be opening Monday and obviously limited staff being me, so you'll get to see me, but we're gonna definitely have the, we're gonna open at 10 like we normally would because we have a live show that we do in the morning. So we're gonna open at our regular hours of 10 and not sure on closing time. It could, we normally close at 6. I'm anticipating maybe 4 or 5. We don't have that, figured out yet, but our one parameter is, is that anyone coming in to shop will obviously need to wear a mask. And we'll let everybody know that, but you'll need to wear a mask. And, you know, we're gonna be sanitizing and cleaning things constantly. And I know we have the 25% capacity rule, so, you know, we'll have to police that a little bit. But the main thing is going to be they need to wear a mask.

Well, Jennifer, I'm— have this pent-up demand, this missing being able to go out and shop and look at things. So I'm hoping that next week serves to be a good reopening for you. I know there's still people that are, that are cautious, but appreciate the precautions you're taking so that people can resume some of their normal activities and yet feel safe. I wanted to, to for a moment ask, you mentioned two times about your live broadcast that you do. Talk about that because people may be interested in tuning in for that.

Right, so, you know, what is the saying of the mother of invention? I don't know exactly what that saying is, but you know, in times like this where we were thrown a curveball, we had to figure out what the heck are we gonna do to continue what we're doing, to try to continue keeping our business going. So we decided that every day we were gonna come live to our audience on Facebook, and up till now it's been 11:00 AM. Well, we have to change that a little bit, and now it's gonna be 9:00 AM Monday through Friday, and we come live on Facebook, our Tru Fashionistas Facebook page, with an online show of selling. And we used to do this a while back, right before the hurricane came, and we really, really embraced it at that point. And right now I see that this is something that's going to continue. People are really liking the live broadcast. We come live to you with new arrivals. That's the thing. We're coming to you with new arrivals, things that haven't hit the website yet, that haven't hit the store. Literally, they just came in. So you get first dibs if you're watching this show.

Well, and let's not forget, there's one element about this that's good timing. We've got Mother's Day right around the corner. I think it's relatively early in May, if I'm not mistaken. It's in the first half of May, I think.

Did you say—

what is it?

I don't know, I haven't looked.

So May, if you're looking to purchase some things, and it might just be maybe you're like me and my family doesn't always know what to get me, so I just encourage them by going and finding things myself.

Yes, yes.

So it's, you know, my point is great time to be thinking about shopping when we're right around the corner from Mother's Day there. So exactly what I wanted I'm going to pause for a moment, Jennifer, and just talk about what's coming up later this week, and then I'm going to bring it back to you and close. I want to give you a chance to share any final thoughts, but I'm excited about our lineup. This is obviously the last one, uh, for this week. I've been doing them Monday through Friday, and my family— I haven't taken a day off yet with COVID so they have arm wrestled me into going out on the boat tomorrow, so I won't be on. But next week I'll be excited. I'm going to bring a number of businesses to you. I'm scanning down here. On Monday, I have Manta Films. On Tuesday, I have Image Projections. On Wednesday, I have Massage Heights. I've got Hattinger Floors. Then I've got someone who brings art classes. So I'm actually already scheduling into the week after that right now, but I'm excited about that lineup we got, and I hope that people will continue. I'll probably be over time starting a little bit later because I recognize as people start to go back to jobs, it might make more sense to either do them early in the morning or the late afternoon. So I'll be adjusting that over time. But I hope that you'll come back and join us to see some of those amazing businesses. And as we round out the last 4 minutes, Jennifer, I'd love to just open it up and anything that you want to share. We've got, you know, an audience that, that's interested and has been hanging on with us for 26 minutes, what would you like to impart? What information about life or business? It's all you.

Sure. Well, number one, and I know you're gonna hear this from a lot of people, but— and I'm tearing up right now because I've seen the support that people in our community have banded together and given to each other, and it's— it just warms my heart and makes me teary-eyed, but Really, we're gonna all come out of this on the other side of it stronger and better, and please everyone, consider, or don't consider, please shop local, do things locally, because small business is the backbone of our community. It is, you know, it's how a lot of us feed our families, and shop local, support local people, because that is truly what makes the world go round. We're the ones here living and breathing our community, we're the ones volunteering time towards boards or volunteering at our kids' games or whatever the case may be, please, I'm just asking everybody to support local. That's my takeaway from this.

Yeah, you couldn't have said it better. And by the way, that's one of my guidelines. I'm not bringing— I've been contacted by a couple businesses that are great businesses, but they're not local. And that's not the purpose of this. This is about making sure, you know, it's honest to goodness, it's one of the reasons I fell in love with Naples. So when I came here, I was on a corporate career that moved me every 2 to 3 years. So I got here and I'm thinking the clock is ticking. I know I'm going to work. And one of the things I fell in love with is just the, the diversity of small businesses here and how great those businesses are. So I would hate for us to lose any of that charm that, um, you know, that helped me fall in love with the community. So I wish you continued success. You know, I know people are still feeling reluctant, and so I'm hoping that they'll have heard this today and know maybe they don't want to be the one to go out into the store on Monday, but maybe they will tune in at 9:00 AM to your show, and maybe just maybe they'll call and give payment, and then they can pick it up or have it shipped or whatever. So the beauty of your business is it's local, but it can reach you wherever you are during this time. You can come in on Monday and be part of shopping, that much needed and missed experience. Or if you're not ready, then there's other ways as well. And don't forget, equally as important is with your model to bring in product. And I might say, you know, there are people who have fallen on hard times and, you know, not that people want to start selling off what they use and need every day, but if you've got things sitting around and you've been thinking about selling them and they're in great condition, It may be a way to put a little bit of money in the pockets too. So it's a really good model in that regard too. Well, Jennifer, I appreciate you. I appreciate you being here. I have your website out, but if somebody wanted to get ahold of you in the store to call and discuss anything, what's the business phone number?

The business phone number is 239-596-5044, and you can also email info@truefashionistasresale.com.

Perfect.

Well, thank you.

I wish you much success. Thank you. Half an hour out of your busy day to come and spend with us. Um, and for those listening, if you know of a locally owned business that would benefit from a 30-minute promotion like this, there is no cost. I'm doing these free. Um, it's just the cost of time. So please send them my way, renee@yournaplesexpert.com. And I'm happy to have a conversation and see if it makes sense to get them scheduled. So have a wonderful weekend, Jennifer, and all of you too. Jennifer, stay on. I'm going to end the broadcast and then we'll be able to tie off. Thanks everyone.