Today we’d like to introduce you to Judy Jones Rotzoll.
Judy, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
After working for Neiman Marcus in Fort Worth as a department manager, I stepped away from the corporate world to raise and care for my family. While visiting a friend at their Dallas showroom one afternoon, I agreed to “work a market or two”. That began the most full-time part-time job I’ve ever had! For the next six years, I traveled from Dallas to Atlanta to New York City working with retailers and manufacturers in wholesale sales.
On a plane ride home from a market in Denver with my friend and co-worker Alice, we talked about the lack of shopping options in Fort Worth. We talked about which vendors and clothing lines we’d carry if we had a store in Fort Worth and who our target customer would be.
By the time our plane landed, we had a business model, budget and general idea of location, lines, and business name in place. The passenger sitting next to us leaned over and told us that he had never heard two people so focused and productive on a flight. And for the record… no alcohol was involved in our decision. Seriously!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Nothing in small business is easy. The city, the state, TAXES, landlords, insurance, the internet… Ugh! It’s all very challenging. It’s easy to see why so many independent retailers go out of business. There are constantly issues (and new fees/taxes/assessments).
Also, there are challenges as a small business with staffing. There no sick days, no hanging out with friends and having lunch. If you can’t physically cover the store, you don’t open!
Please tell us about Keeping Up With the Joneses.
Within three months of that plan ride, Alice and I hosted our very first pop up shop in her westside home. We hosted several successful events and felt we had found our niche. In the next year, we moved from pop up shops and into a small space inside her son’s business at The Village at Camp Bowie. A year later, Alice sadly lost her husband and stepped away from the business to take care of family obligations and their family’s thriving construction business. Keeping Up With the Joneses moved around the corner, in the same shopping center, and into its own space.
Keeping Up With the Joneses (I am a Jones by birth and Alice by marriage) is always evolving, though its never strayed from our original mission. The carefully curated boutique is filled with bright, colorful clothing designed for women who live an active and social lifestyle. Our target customer is 30 years and older, although we have a very nice base of college-aged and young professionals. Our customer prefers to look polished and put together with very little effort. Where possible, I buy lines that are woman-owned & woman-designed. Local designers are proudly showcased as well. Most clothing and all jewelry lines are made in the USA.
Fort Worth’s retail community is growing and I am very proud to be a part. Customers quickly become friends and I try to look out for my customers who are buying a dress or outfit for a particular event. I see each person who walks out my door as a walking, talking advertisement. I want you to feel as good as you look when you wear something from my store. I am old-fashioned and don’t sell through a website because I care about customer service, I care about my reputation and I care about the quality of goods I’m offering. I want to see for myself if the dress fits, how the skirt drapes and if the seams on that blouse are right on you. I also want you to touch and feel the fabrics. Quality and details matter. My customers matter.
We’d love to have you stop by and check us out. Soon enough you’ll be Keeping Up With the Joneses!
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
A favorite memory from childhood is sneaking away with my mother for a day of shopping. My mother worked a lot and there were four of us kids. One on one time with her was precious and I loved when I had her all to myself. My mother taught me from a very early age the importance of fit, quality of fabric and craftsmanship and that when you buy classics, you can afford to splurge. If it’s good quality and cared for, it will last you a lifetime. She always pointed out little “niceties” to me like hand stitching, embroidery, the hems and seams, the fabrics and that customer service was important. We always stopped for a ladies lunch too. I love those memories!
Contact Info:
- Address: 6333 Camp Bowie Blvd #208
Fort Worth, Texas 76116 - Phone: 817-995-0787
- Email: ThoseJonesGirls@aol.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keepingupwith.thejoneses/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/keepingupwiththejonesesfw/
Image Credit:
Personal Photo, Kecia French
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