Le Top went up a hill to find the cutest boutique ever! This week we are featuring one of our most favorite premier boutiques – Jack n’ Jill Shop – in Homewood, Alabama. We were able to interview Store Manager, Laura Player, about the best holiday gifts this season, Christmas discounts the store will be offering for eager parent shoppers, the favorite local family hangouts and her favorite holiday traditions to share with your family. Read more to discover one f the best boutiques to shop at this festive season!
Jack n’ Jill Shop
2918 South 18th Street
Homewood, AL 35209
205.879.7681
CHECK-IN and JOIN Jack n’ Jill Shop Facebook page and click HERE
1. Tell us the inspiration behind the name Jack N Jill Shop? How long has your store been around?
The Jack n’ Jill Shop was established in 1954 as the first children’s clothing boutique in the suburb of Homewood, Alabama that is located directly outside of the Birmingham city limits. I am not exactly sure what the inspiration was behind the name Jack n’ Jill other than that the original owners thought that it would be cute to name their store after a popular children’s nursery rhyme. It’s definitely a name that children and parents can easily remember!
2. The holidays are LITERALLY around the corner and it is the last weekend to buy holiday gifts before Christmas Eve. What are your top 3 items (clothes, toys, giftables, etc.) for any parent shopping for the holidays at your store?
- Matching Christmas pajamas are one of our best sellers. Our customers really like to have all their children matching in front of the Christmas tree for pictures on Christmas morning.
- Christopher Pop-In-Kins the magical little Elf that “Pops-in” to children’s homes every Thanksgiving and returns to the North Pole on Christmas Eve to report a child’s good or bad behavior back to Santa Claus.
- Lots of white and red Le Top turtlenecks, tights, hair bows, and other accessories sell very well as people pick up those last minute items they need to accessorize their child’s Christmas outfit.
3. Any special events or fun holiday traditions that you have planned at your store for Christmas or the New Year? Tell us the inside scoop about any special events and especially the fun deals we can expect!
We start the holiday season out every year on the first Thursday of November with the Downtown Homewood Holiday Open House. All of the shops on our street stay open three hours later and offer special sales, food, etc to customers in their stores. The Jack n’ Jill Shop offers a discount on all holiday clothing and accessories that night.
On the first Sunday of December we hold our annual 50% off fall merchandise and 30% off Christmas apparel sale. This event is huge and helps to clean out merchandise to make way for the spring items that start arriving during December.
4. What’s your favorite holiday tradition and or nostalgic moment and why? Whether it is decorating the Christmas tree to eating peppermint bark to lighting the menorah candles to baking in the kitchen, etc….
Streuselkuchen
My favorite holiday tradition is making a German kuchen cake on Christmas Eve for my family. Kuchen is delicious yeast based coffee cake with a fabulous gooey cinnamon and sugar topping. This tradition was started by my grandmother when my mother and her sisters were small girls, continued with my mom baking it for my brother and me, and now I bake it for my family.
5. What would you suggest as the top 3 essentials in the winter that any parent should buy to brighten up their child’s wardrobe this winter?
- A fleece jacket is a must for any child’s wardrobe. Fleece is not only warm it washes and dries easily which is great for mom!
- A lightweight crocheted or fleece hat is great for chilly days and nights. Lots of girls are now pinning a cute flower to their hat, which really adds a touch of wow!
- A plain white cardigan is an essential for chilly Sunday mornings throughout the south so we stock them year round for our customers.
6. What is your favorite holiday film past or present for kids/family?
My favorite holiday film is the first “Home Alone.” There is just something so cute about Macaulay Culkin and the ingenious ideas he uses to fight the burglars that try to break into his home. I enjoy watching this movie with my husband and son every year.
7. Tell us…before you “had kids or grandkids, what is one thing you swore you’d never…?”
The one thing I swore I would never do is have a DVD player in my car to keep my child occupied during long trips. Needless to say there is now a DVD player in my car and In fact, I managed to get out during the wee morning hours of Black Friday to search out a new one this year!
8. Describe the neighborhood of your store location in Homewood, Alabama? Did you grow up in the local area?
The Jack n’ Jill Shop is located in “Old” Downtown Homewood. The “Old” comes from the fact that the street hasn’t changed very much throughout the years. The buildings remain virtually unchanged since their inception. I grew up in Homewood, graduated from Homewood High School and even shopped in the Jack n’ Jill Shop as a child. The best thing about the Homewood community is the wonderful support the local businesses receive from its residents. People like to shop with us because of the deep tradition our store reflects within the local community. Not many stores have customers that can say they are the 3rd or 4th generation that has shopped at Jack n’ Jill.
9. Where are the best/essential family hangouts and places to go around your store location?
The Jack n’ Jill Shop is nestled in between Sikes Children’s Shoes and Savages Bakery, which makes a very exciting shopping adventure for children and their families. Savages has been baking wonderful cookies, cakes, and pastries in the Homewood community since 1939. In fact, it’s quite a tradition for families to stop by Jack n’ Jill, purchase a holiday outfit, head to Sikes Children’s Shoes for their matching pair of shoes, and swing into Savages for either lunch or a special treat.
10. What Le Top or rabbitmoon winter 2011 collection is your store’s favorite and why?
The favorite Le Top collection for my store this fall has been the Horsin’ Around & Primrose Pony brother and sister collections. Each year Le Top manages to create such an exceptionally cute Western group for both boys and girls. What child doesn’t dream of being a little Cowboy or Cowgirl! Thanks Le Top for continuing to create fabulous age appropriate clothing for children.
Jack n’ Jill Shop
2918 South 18th Street
Homewood, AL 35209
205.879.7681
Click HERE to
CHECK-IN and JOIN
Jack n’ Jill Shop’s Facebook page
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