New owner traded real-estate sales for selling women’s clothes in Fruita

Tim Harty, The Business Times

It wasn’t like it was two minutes to midnight on the doomsday clock, but there was a swooping-in-to-save-the-day vibe that preceded the sale of The Barn Boutique this spring.

Jami Nelson knew the women’s clothing store at 210 E. Aspen Ave. in Fruita had been listed for sale for a while, because she followed owner Emily Kempton on Facebook. Then, Nelson learned at the end of March the store’s last day was nigh, and she had to make a decision.

“She was trying to sell it, and if she couldn’t sell it, she was going to close it,” Nelson said. “It was, like, the last day before, and she was like, ‘OK, I’ve got to make a decision, and if I don’t have a buyer by tomorrow, I’m closing it down.’

“And the night before that, my husband and I sat down and talked to her, and we decided to make an offer on the business, so she didn’t have to close it down.”

With that it was: Welcome to retail and welcome to business ownership, Jami Nelson.

The 41-year-old is a licensed real-estate agent with Realty ONE Group in Grand Junction, but she’s shelving that work to pour her effort into her new challenge.

“It’s totally different from real estate or anything I’ve ever done. I never thought I’d own my own business like this,” Nelson said.

That’s not to say it never crossed her mind.

“When we go traveling, my daughter and I always seek out the little boutiques, and it’s always been a dream of mine to have my own and to be able to shop for it,” she said.

The dream is now reality.

After Kempton had a final sale to clear out some merchandise, Nelson said she closed the store for three weeks, ordered new inventory and got some training – Kempton was helpful on those – then “opened fresh on the 22nd of April.”

Nelson said she’s learning the retail world as she goes.

“I’m still learning. There’s so much to learn,” she said. “It’s actually really fun. There’s things that I didn’t think I would enjoy doing, like the bookkeeping stuff, that I’m kind of enjoying more than I thought I would.” 

Some things are a quick study. Others aren’t. Nelson said the fashion learning curve will take time.

“What actually is selling, what is actually trending, what’s going to sell here versus other places, it’s a little bit different,” she said. “I was not a very fashion-forward kid. I wore what was available.

“And so, it’s a learning curve. It’s so fun to just get in there, and I want to buy it all, but learning what is actually going to sell is different than just buying it all.”

The time of the year will dictate inventory, and knowing how much to order and when to make each move is new territory.

“Learning how to prepare for the hard seasons, like, I haven’t had it,” Nelson said. “I’ve had one month of business, so I don’t really know what a hard season looks like. And so, learning how to prepare for those is gonna be something I’m gonna learn. Learning how to shop season to season and when to buy things.

“I could list a ton of things that are going to be things that I have to learn still, but it’s all enjoyable, and it’s all flexible learning. It’s not like if I don’t learn it now, my business is over. No, there are things that I can learn as I’m going.”

The women’s clothing is similar to what The Barn Boutique carried previously, but it will reflect some new vendors and Nelson’s tastes.

For those not familiar with The Barn Boutique, Nelson describes it as “a more unique shopping experience … items that you’re not gonna see at, like, Target or your mainstream stores.”

She said she stocks items that she would personally wear.

“I feel it’s like shopping my closet,” she said. “It’s all stuff that I would wear, whether it’s to a concert or to church or to just an everyday outing.”

Or to a rodeo, she added.

That means there are a lot of tops and plenty of denim, plus “fun pairs of pants,” meaning there are patterns or lace or little ribbons that tie.

“It’s different than just a pair of black pants to wear,” Nelson said.

As important as letting shoppers know what The Barn Boutique carries is letting them know that it’s open, period.

“I’m just excited for them to know that we’re still here, that we didn’t close, because a lot of people are like, ‘Oh, we thought you closed,’” Nelson said. “We’re still here, and we’re excited about being open, and we try to cater to – it is a women’s boutique – I really do try to cater to all women. That’s my focus.”

Nelson added she has a pretty good salesman in her family helping the cause: her 12-year-old son, Cason, who tells his friends to buy squishies at his mom’s store.

“Yeah, he does a good job,” Nelson said with a smile, then quipped, “That’s one of my business models is to have my kids promote the store.”