Jo Karen with her partner Karen Bender in Acton, Massachusetts
Having my own shop was something I had always wanted to do. I had actually looked at gift shops before I had children but decided to put that on hold and begin to raise a family. I was fortunate to be able to stay at home while my children were young. As soon as they no longer need me to be at home full time the desire to work quickly came back. I worked at a small women’s clothing store and really enjoyed what I did. A Lingerie shop next to where I was working closed and people seemed to miss it. I thought this may be an opportunity for me to open a shop. Since I already was enjoying working with women in the clothing world why not the Lingerie world. Who knew that Lingerie could be so exciting, I sure was missing out.
I felt is would be best if I had a partner who had a background as a buyer. Luck would have it that one of the ladies I worked with had been a buyer, that was Karen Bender and before we knew it Jo Karen – Fine Lingerie and Activewear was established. That was 9 years ago.
In Karen’s words……I saw this as an opportunity to implement the retail strategies I had learned from 20 years of store management, and retail buying experience. Starting a business from scratch provides a stimulating outlet to express these strategies in a way I knew would bring success to Jo Karen.
I enjoy the challenges: hiring and developing a staff, selecting, editing the merchandise based on industry trends, along with customer needs and desires and branding our business through our consistent advertising and participation in Social Media. There is always a new product or a new bra style to bring to our customers attention.
Customers come to us for assistance with the important Milestones in their lives; 1st bra, prom, new mom, job interviews, special occasions, weddings, etc. We help them feel confident and look their best. Jo Karen is women helping women. I believe we have a niche in offering a personal and professional bra fitting experience. We have hard to find sizes in current styles with the ability to special order to fulfill our customers’ needs.
Jo Karen is located at 340 Great Road in Acton, Mass.
