JamesC Boutique: A Father's Dream Come True For His Daughter
Have you ever heard of places being called hidden treasures? That is exactly what JamesC Boutique is in Lexington, Kentucky. The owner, Carrie Burkett, is a UK alumna who graduated with a degree in Journalism.
While attending UK, Burkett worked at a boutique located in the exact spot where JamesC currently resides. One day Burkett’s father came by and visited her at work and asked her, “Why isn’t this your store?”
JamesC is not just the name of this boutique, but an homage to the first person to launch the idea to Burkett that she should have her own boutique one day: her father, James C. Burkett.
Unfortunately, Burkett’s father would not be able to see the dream of his daughter running her own boutique come to life with his own eyes. He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer during Carrie’s senior year of college and passed away a few short months later. However, before he passed away, he sat down with his daughter to help her create a business plan for what would become JamesC Boutique.
“It is such a joy to hear people say his name and they don’t even know him,” Burkett said.
Burkett, the single owner of her boutique, made it a point to learn from other business’ mistakes and take them into consideration while running her own business. Burkett learned to not be afraid to be hands-on with her company, so that is exactly how she is. She works on the floor and behind the desk, always a part of anything that goes on in her store.
Burkett hand picks everything she places in her store when ordering online from venders. If a vendor's clothing does not flatter or fit her customers, she will take that into consideration before buying from them again. Her goal is to please her customers and get styles that she knows they will love and feel great in.
“I learn so much from buying online and waiting for stuff to come in. If I don’t like the material, I won’t sell it,” Burkett said.
When Burkett is not working the floor —although she usually is— she is taking the reigns on creating and uploading posts to Instagram and other social media platforms. She also spends her time updating and posting clothing items to her boutique's website.
“I think that it is really important when a customer can see themselves in a post,” Burkett said.
The point of her business and the clothing she hand picks is to include and welcome every woman, no matter their body type or styles they made like.
“One thing I have learned this year is if something scares you, you’re doing the right thing,” Burkett said, after expressing how terrifying the initial process of opening JamesC was for her. However, she has come to realize that she is doing something right in order to achieve her and her father’s goal of her owning and running her own business.
As for the future of JamesC Boutique, Burkett sees the business expanding. She hopes to open another location somewhere in the south. However, just like her style icon, Sarah Jessica Parker, she plans on staying in the city to make an impact on the fashion and business world of Lexington. Above all else, she aims to make her father proud.
