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Shop Talk
One-on-one with Jaci Effron, owner of Jac.

One year ago, it was a pre-construction mess that, oddly, smelled like fried shrimp. Now the place is called Jac., a small boutique in Inman Park that highlights owner Jaci Effron’s obsession with independent style for women. (Think a wool, lamb leather-trimmed overcoat with a cinch waist and a swing hem or a blueberry-colored tote, both from Brooklyn designer Hayden-Harnett.) The Atlanta native had only two years of retail experience under her belt before opening the store, and “the learning curve was steep,” she says. Now she’s challenging herself again by branching out into menswear and online selling. She talks with JEZEBEL about style and the challenges of retail entrepreneurship.

JEZ: As someone with very little background in retail, what led you to open the store in the first place?

Effron: I was a travel and style editor in New York City for about five years. My husband’s job in real estate moved us back to Atlanta, and I couldn’t bring my job with me. So it just seemed like the right place and time to do this. It’s every girl’s dream. I love style, and one of my best skills is to pull things together as a stylist. I was always looking for a store like this for gifts and things.

JEZ: What was it like, starting up your own store?

Effron: I wanted to have fun from beginning to end. I love the discovery, going to flea markets for the furniture, pounding the pavement and going to shows. I wanted an emporium, and I knew I wanted it here because I live nearby, in Grant Park. It’s definitely about 10-percent glamour and 90-percent really hard work.

JEZ: What were some of the challenges you encountered in the earliest days?

Effron: Finding the space took six months. It was so much hard work. I wouldn’t have been able to do it if my husband wasn’t gung-ho, because I practically lived here at the store. I also had to develop a really thick skin. I was supersensitive to what customers and others would say, and I had to buck up.

JEZ: How’s the boutique faring in the difficult economy?

Effron: It’s hard now, and boutiques are sprouting up everywhere. So this place is like a baby–it requires a ton of attention.

JEZ: Is the economy part of the reason for your expansion into e-commerce?

Effron: Yes. We just needed another venue. We experimented with an eBay store, and, with the dollar right now, we’re seeing international people really buying stuff up. With the economy, we need that income. We can’t open a second physical store because I can’t be in two places at once. The business would suffer.

JEZ: Tell me a little bit about your move into menswear. Why, when you’ve pegged how to sell to women, would you move into somewhat unfamiliar territory?

Effron: Since the week we opened, men have been coming in and asking for it. I don’t have brothers and am not a major men’s shopper, so again I’ve had to learn a lot. We’ll see how it goes. The men’s side will never be the size of the women’s side of the store. We’ll offer basics such as button-down tops, one denim line and maybe a khaki. We’ll have Fred Perry for spring. Quirky, but nothing effeminate.

JEZ: What fashion items do you most covet?

Effron: Thou shalt not covet, right? But I do dream about invading Carrie Bradshaw’s closet.

JEZ: How would you describe your personal style?

Effron: It’s a bit mixed up. I’m not afraid to take chances and try something that looks like maternity or is wacky. About 10 percent of the things I have in the store I don’t love, but the rest of it I do. It looks and feels like me.