Coast Magazine

Jennifer Croll, owner, Jennifer Croll in Crystal Cove Promenade

April 2003; by Amanda Anderson

Northern California natives Jennifer Croll and husband Cristian opened their first women's and men's casual fashion boutique in Los Gatos; their second in San Francisco, and their third in Scousdafe, where they now reside. But as a USC graduate, Jennifer also loves Southern California, and it was this love that brought her, and her fourth Jennifer Croll location, to the Crystal Cove Promenade. Look for her and Cristian at the pool table in the new shop, and behind the counter, ringing up women's fashions from Theory.Trina Turk, See by Chloe, and Kors by Michael Kors, and men's lines like Ted Baker. Ben Sherman and Tommy Bahama.

What Is your favorite service that you currently offer? We offer bridesmaids dresses for the girls who don't want to look like bridesmaids. Because we carry dresses year round in all of our stores, girls started to ask us if we could order multiple dresses from non-bridesmaid dress designers. We have built a big part of our business on this concept. Brides and their bridesmaids are very happy to purchase regular dresses that they will love to wear again. Having dresses year round enables the non-traditional bride to find her gown at Jennifer Croll as well.

What do you love about your business? Everything. I love designing the stores. I love the fashion industry! love the runway shows. I love buying for the stores. I love working with my staff and my husband Cristian. And most of all. I love working with our customers. I would rather be doing this than anything else in the world.

Describe your ideal customer. The one who comes in and trusts us to put together outfits and suggest items. That is the most fun because we pride ourselves on realty listening to what our customers are asking for and for making them look and feel great in what they choose.

How do you feel about working with family? I really enjoy working with my husband. Cristian. We enjoy traveling to New York. Los Angeles and Europe for market together. We have been doing it now for over eight years and I think we've learned to really respect each other's opinions and it's fun to bounce ideas off one another. We also love working in the stores together. We are both social people and often make friends with our customers. Because we have pool tables and TVs in all of our stores, when we work together it tends to turn into a party atmosphere. We especially love our new location at Crystal Cove Promenade. Work just isn't work when you have friends, a pool table and that incredible view.

What personality trait makes you great at what you do? I believe that loving what you do makes you great at what you do. I think the trait that makes me enjoy what I do is that I genuinely love people and the fashion industry I strive hard to make everyone who walks into any of our stores feel comfortable and welcome.! also strive to make sure that when they leave my stores, they only have great things to say about our company and our customer service.

What has changed most about your business in the last year? We have expanded our business to Crystal Cove Promenade in Newport Coast. Cristian and I currently live in Scottsdale most of the year where we opened a store two years ago. We spend time in San Francisco at our store there and plan to spend a lot of time (including most of the summers) in the Laguna/Newport Area. Our kids Jack (five) and Chloe (one) a/e very excited to spend time here too It is one of the most beautiful places on earth.

Do you prefer to be behind the scenes or out in front? I definitely prefer to be out in front. I love working in the stores and I love meeting new people. Lately, in Scottsdale, I've begun doing charity work through the stores. I've hosted charity shopping nights or weekends through the stores and donated items and underwritten fashion shows and favors for charitable events. Last month for our Newport opening we gave 10% of all sales to the American Heart Association in honor of valentine's Day weekend. I find it very rewarding to have the opportunity to utilize the store to generate money for needed organizations. My mother spends much of her time on charity work and J feel very lucky to create an avenue in which I and my entire staff can give while all doing what we love to do.

Describe your business philosophy. Create a welcoming environment that our customers and staff are happy to be in. I believe that happy, comfortable people make happy energy What better way to spend your life!

Do you believe a person is defined by what he or she does for a living? I believe that people are defined by their values, passions and actions. Hopefully a person can be lucky enough not to compromise these things in his or her career. Both Cristian and I have been very lucky that way.

How would you like to be described by your customers? As a nice individual who genuinely cares about her customers - their feelings, their lives and how they look in the outfits they purchase, long after they have left the store. I would like to be known as a person who cares about the community and strives to give back in every aspect of life.