“Fashions fade, style is eternal.” –Yves Saint Laurent
While looking through family photos one day, Emilie Christenson was hit with a stark realization. She wasn’t in them. It hurt, and she and her husband knew something had to change.
“I used to leave for work before the kids were awake and get home barely in time to read them a story and put them to bed,” she shares of her successful career in finance. “Thank goodness my husband is super supportive and was amazing with our kids — but it didn't feel right.”
Nearly a decade after moving to Neptune Beach, the Connecticut native left a years-long job with Merrill Lynch to open a children’s clothing boutique called Kyds in 2001, allowing her to spend more time with her husband and two young daughters, Carlie and Devon. Kyds quickly became the “fun and funky” children’s boutique in the area, and Jaffi’s, which had opened the year prior by two women named Jill and Taffi, was the hip women’s retailer next door. Emilie was a regular customer at Jaffi’s, and the two boutiques began to coordinate adorable designer mommy-and-me offerings, from Joe’s Jeans to Juicy Couture. Later that same year, Jill and Taffi approached her about buying the women’s boutique, and Emilie, a self-proclaimed “workaholic,” jumped at the opportunity.
“It's been a super fun and wild ride ever since,” laughs Emilie, adding that Jaffi's is a busy shop and requires a lot more attention than she was able to give it initially. Between running two boutiques — and working alongside her daughter Carlie on her own line of intimate apparel for tweens, teens, and adults called Boob-eez — the mother of two found herself spread thin. With their kids grown, Emilie and her husband made the decision to sell Kyds in 2016 in order to put the focus on both Jaffi’s and Boob-eez.
“It was a great decision, and we've been growing ever since,” she says. “It's hard to do things well when pulled in so many directions. Jaffi's and Boob-eez keep me very busy!”
Retail Runs in the Family
Emilie — who would wear “several outfits a day,” according to her mom — was just 7 years old when she made her first dress. Her mother’s family owned a small department store in Ripley, Tennessee, while her father’s side immigrated to the East Coast from Italy and owned a dressmaking factory in New York called C&G Originals. Emilie’s dear Aunt Em, her namesake, was even in one of the first few graduating classes at the Fashion Institute of Technology, and she still has her professional dress form today, circa 1947.
“I enjoyed watching the production process from start to finish and loved playing with buttons and pretty lace trim at ‘the shop’ as a child,” Emilie remembers. “I think fashion and retail are in my blood, and it was only a matter of time before this became my full-time gig. Owning and operating a family business and being part of this special community has always seemed natural to me.”
Style, Indeed, is Eternal
Without question, Jaffi’s has stood the test of time. Neighboring shops in Beaches Town Center have come and go. Our country has endured tragedy, not to mention a pandemic that permanently altered the way consumers spend money and businesses operate.
While shops around the world were struggling to connect with customers during COVID, Jaffi’s launched their “Retail Therapy Happy Hour,” a weekly live stream on social media where Emilie, her daughters, and special guests model new styles, sip champagne, and chat with their followers.
“Jaffi’s has evolved naturally by being the go-to boutique for clean, simple, effortless style that fits many budgets and body types,” she says. “We are trendy enough to be fun and fresh, yet classic and timeless enough for our pieces to have longevity.”
Emilie also recalls the shop’s 21st birthday celebration in 2021, where guests were told to wear their favorite “vintage” outfits from Jaffi’s: “The fact that so many people still had things from the shop 20 years later is amazing! It warms my heart and makes me smile. Mothers and daughters came dressed to the nines, and we had an absolute blast.”
Through it all, Emilie prides herself (and her staff) on upholding the business’ mission, one in which they truly care about helping people and their customers leave feeling more confident and comfortable in the skin they’re in.
“We aim to be helpful without being pushy, while getting to know our customers and what they want and need. Some like to be left alone, so we give them space and are attentive if they have questions. And some want to be dressed from head to toe — from clothes, to undergarments, to jewelry,” she shares. “We go out of our way to provide an unparalleled level of service, and the ability to do that comes from being observant and having lots of experience. Continuing to grow after 23 years of business doesn't seem real, and I'm so thankful to have this opportunity. When my husband asks when I want to retire, I say, ‘No comment,’ because that's not happening any time soon!”