Jacquelyn Kennedy was walking down West Pico Boulevard in her native Los Angeles in early 2010 when something caught her eye: a "For rent" sign in one of the storefront's windows.
The artist and T-shirt designer had rented space in that same building almost a decade earlier and dreamed of opening her own boutique there. "There was never a storefront available because people would stay there forever," Kennedy said. "When I noticed [the sign], I was like, 'Ooh, I need that space. I want that.'"
Kennedy called the landlord, inquired about rent prices and submitted a deposit the next day. She gave her two weeks' notice at the "nine-to-five" academic counseling job she'd held for the past several years, and went home to tell her partner, popular Latina comic Sandra Valls, what she'd done.
"I was like, 'Excuse me?!'" Valls recalled, laughing. "She gave up this six-figure job… I didn't have any doubts about Jackie, but in general in my life, I'm more of a 'measure twice, cut once' type of person. And she's just like, 'I'm going to make it happen because I'm going to make it happen.' And that's it. Just do it. Just believe it.'"
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Kennedy has had a creative streak since she was a child. Constantly drawing and designing, she studied at the Fashion Institute of Design and Marketing (FIDM) and went on to earn a business degree from California State University. After working as a stylist, fashion show make-up artist, illustrator and T-shirt designer, Kennedy switched gears and moved into the more lucrative field of career counseling.
Although she enjoyed her work, she thought there was something missing. "I just really felt like I was just so much more than four walls," Kennedy said. "I've always tried to do creative things outside of work, but there was never enough time." When she saw that fateful 'for rent' sign, Kennedy knew she had to go for it.
She launched Dewberries Boutique in July 2010. The hip, colorful store caters to women and the LGBT community. It carries a well-curated collection of predominantly "rainbow and blingy" clothing, accessories and jewelry from local designers, and highlights Kennedy's own Dewberries t-shirt line. The line features stylized illustrations of women with attitude; its hallmark image portrays a Black woman in a bikini, hand on her hip, rocking a huge afro.
Dewberries are small blackberry-like fruits that grow bunched together and are often difficult to remove from the vine. "I incorporated dewberries with women," Kennedy said, "and how basically whether we are mothers and daughters, sisters, partners or best friends, we're either going to make each other, or we're going to break. You're going to have a good attitude, and you're going to help your mom or your friend get to the next level with positivity."
Kennedy regularly hosts community events in her Los Angeles boutique, hoping to create a positive, safe environment for women and members of the LGBT community. Once a month, a life coach visits the boutique to offer inspirational words on selected topics for Motivational Mondays. There are also monthly Women's Wellness Wednesdays, which have included massages and healthy eating advice in the past. Also, every other Tuesday the boutique hosts a poetry slam.
Kennedy said the boutique has been a life-changer. "I've met so many people and had so many great opportunities since I've opened this storefront," she said. "People are coming at me. I've had many… different opportunities that I wouldn't have even ran into if I'd still been in the corporate world."
This month, Kennedy is set to embark on her biggest opportunity to date. She is the first member of the LGBT community to be featured in Walgreens' Community Corner initiative. A supplier diversity program that just entered its second year, the Community Corner showcases products from minority designers. It's featured women, African Americans and Latinos in the past.
In honor of Pride month, Walgreens will begin selling in mid-June an 18-pack cooler bag designed by Kennedy. Perfect for toting beverages at Pride parades, the black bag will be available in nearly 100 stores for $19.99 while supplies last. It features a rainbow yin-yang symbol meant to promote inclusivity.
"I wanted to do something that was universal, yet really, really for the LGBT," Kennedy said. "Now, when you get into the yin-yang, that could be anybody. There's a little bit of boy and girl in all of us. There's a little bit of masculine energy, but there's feminine energy as well… I just wanted to do something that wasn't so in your face, not so bold, but yet kind of bright."
The bag will be carried in major cities such as Chicago and Los Angeles. A complete list of locations can be obtained from supplier.diversity@walgreens.com .
"Like the other diverse supplier groups we've recognized through the program, the LGBT community is loyal and has strong purchasing power," said Walgreens Senior Director of Supplier Diversity Gleatha Glispie in a press release. "We feel confident that shoppers will be pleased to see the Pride bag at their neighborhood Walgreens and will recognize the opportunity to support a small, community-built business."
For her part, Kennedy is thrilled to be the new face of the Community Corner, especially during Pride month. "Looking at me, you would never think I was part of the LGBT community, you know, with kids," said the African-American mother of three. "People like me need to come out more so that other people can feel comfortable knowing that it's okay… We need to be more visible."
Find out more about Dewberries at www.luvthatdewberries.com .
