Fort Worth Local Showcase: Keeping Up with the Joneses

Those of us over here at Shop Small Fort Worth are all about preserving our community’s character through local businesses. We care about their stories, their trials, and their successes. We love the concept of creating for and buying from one another, and we love to support others seeking to do the same. So that is what this blog series is all about — championing local businesses. Telling their stories, and maybe, encouraging others to start one of their own!

Keeping Up with the Joneses

Interview with Judy Jones Rotzoll of Keeping Up with the Joneses

Can you tell us a little about yourself and your shop?

We are a small ladies boutique located in West Fort Worth on Camp Bowie Boulevard. My business partner, Alice, and I both have extensive backgrounds in retail and wholesale. We offer clothing and accessories for the socially active Fort Worth woman who wants to look polished and pulled together with very little effort. We offer limited quantities so you don't see yourself all over town. Quality is key and most of our lines are made in America.

What made you want to start your shop?

Being frustrated with the lack of shopping choices in Fort Worth, Alice and I decided to try a few pop-up shops using clothing lines we knew from our years working the wholesale apparel world in Dallas, Atlanta, New York, Las Vegas and Denver. Based on the success of those pop-ups, we moved our concept to a more permanent location inside Alice's son's business, AriaSalt. We have been there since October 2015. We understand that a women's body changes during different seasons of life, so we look for clothing lines that compliment real women. That's why we carry so many "Made in America" clothing lines and women-owned clothing lines. Our products are not massed produced in factories.

What have been your biggest struggles so far in owning your own business?

Besides the fact that we're inside another business and not independent, we struggle with online shopping and "knock offs."

Thinking about the past year, what has been one of your big successes?

We have days when a client comes in who has gone through something big in her life like an illness or stressful situation, and she is feeling awful because nothing fits or looks good on her. Those days, we are able to help her put together some looks that totally change her mood and make her feel like she can conquer the world (or just that day), and it makes it all worth it. We aren't trying to cure cancer, we just want to make women happy and feel confident.

When you aren’t busy with your business, what do you like to do?

I have a husband and two kids in high school. I like hanging out with them, going to their activities, being outside, and soaking up our short time left before they are off to college. I also happen to be a bit of a concert addict. Alice loves to travel the world, spend time with her children, and play with her two adorable grand babies.

Where do you draw your creativity from?

My mother always had a classic sense of style and taught me the value of buying quality goods from a very young age. Alice is the true artist and has a knack for design and style. She can transform any living space into a work of art.

What do you like most about being part of a community of small shops in Fort Worth?

Fort Worth is such a wonderful city, and I am proud to be a native. There is a sense of community and friendship everywhere you turn in Fort Worth. We have a nice group of independent retailers, and we get together every so often, share ideas and collaborate where we can. We know that working together is only going to make us stronger.

You can find Keeping Up with the Joneses and other businesses like theirs at the Shop Small Fort Worth Spring Market on March 25th and 26th, 2017. It’s coming up soon, and we could not be more excited! This two-day event will feature amazing local artists, small businesses, and craftsman, as well as including live music, food trucks, yard games and a cash bar. Tickets are available here, and part of our proceeds will be going to Pure Adventure.

Written by Stacy Aguilar of Janie Bird & Co.