Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Stephanie Tersigni. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Stephanie, thanks for joining us today. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?
I think everyone has their own definition of success. For me, the feeling of success comes from seeing happy customers. I want shopping at Jolie to be a great experience for everyone who comes in, and when someone finds something they like and ultimately makes a purchase, that is a win! We have had thousands of customers over the years and it is always a great feeling when regulars come in, or tell their friends about Jolie. Customers are the reason we are in business!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am the owner and founder of Jolie Occasions, a women’s clothing, accessories, and gift boutique in Columbus, OH.
Currently in its 5th year of business, Jolie has made a name for itself as a fashion destination for shoppers in central Ohio. The feminine flair, affordable price point, visual merchandising, and inclusive shopping experience are just some of the reasons Jolie has been voted a top local retail store in Columbus Monthly Magazine, Columbus Underground, and 614 Magazine.
I began my career in retail by working at a mall while in high school, then a boutique while in college, and ultimately got a full-time job in merchandising once I graduate from college. After about 4 years I decided to open up by own boutique and Jolie Occasions became a reality.
I started the business out of my husband and my apartment before finding a space to lease in the Short North Arts District. The storefront opened in August of 2017, and after less than 2 years we moved to our current location, tripling in size. Since then, we have grown the business to include more items and more inventory in the store and have grown our online presence significantly.
Each year, our team at Jolie puts on a Fall Fashion Show featuring a mix of ready-to-wear items for sale, and one-of-a-kind pieces that I design and make myself. Designing and hand-making clothing is something I am very proud of and hope to explore more in the future!
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
I built Jolie with the intention of making it a welcoming place for everyone, and a huge part of that are my employees. Teaching my staff how to interact with customers has been a huge part of the success of the business and how we built our reputation. I trust all of them to represent myself and Jolie to the best of their abilities even when I am not there. We are known for being a friendly, fun, and inclusive place to shop, and having that reputation is so important to me. We hear stories about customers not feeling welcome in other stores and that is something I never want anyone to feel when coming to Jolie. We make it a point to get to know everyone who comes in and love seeing happy customers!
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
Each day brings new challenges, but the biggest one to date was in 2020 when we had to physically close our store for 2 months during the pandemic. Our store relies heavily on foot traffic so this was a huge hit to our sales, but we got creative and focused on ways to get people to shop local by using a curbside pick-up option, revamped our website, tried different promotions, learned how to make better videos and found new ways to interact with our customers such as doing a virtual fashion show. Closing the business for good was something I did not want to have to do, but I think if we can make it through this pandemic then we can endure far more than I originally thought!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jolieoccasions.com
- Instagram: @jolieoccasions
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JolieOccasions
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQmSW5ApMEoDnn7d4D_Kkfg
Image Credits
Ashley D Photography