By Anna Skinner
Jennifer Alter and JoLynda Wilson have been friends since the sixth grade. The idea for J&J Petite Boutique was conceived out of the women’s short stature.
“We always joked around about starting own boutique because she’s 4-foot-11 and I’m 5-2, and we would go around boutiques and (could never find our size), so we got sick of going to places and (the clothing) being too huge,” said Alter, who has lived in Westfield for 10 years. “There’s no one out there that caters to petite clothing, like trendy clothing, so that’s how we got the idea of doing this because there’s not a lot of boutiques out there that focus on petites.”
The online boutique was launched last September, and Alter keeps all of the inventory in her Westfield home. Each season, she hosts open houses at her home to display the clothing.
One of the items Alter specifies that J&J Petite Boutique specializes in for smaller-framed women is maxi dresses.
“I don’t know anyone that’s that tall,” she said. “Millions of women are considered petite, they’re 5-4 and under. We thought we should try to do this and see (how it turned out). We have five or six styles of maxi dress.”
Alter said that J&J Petite Boutique has competitive pricing, with the most expensive item listed at $68. If someone buying the materials is local, Alter allows for pick-up at her home. Otherwise, she and Wilson ship the purchases.
In the future, the pair hope to open a store, but it is focusing on raising capital with the online business right now.
For more, visit jjpetite.com.
