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Scott visits her new boutique at The Corners
Kendra Scott returns to her home state to meet employees at Wisconsin’s first Kendra Scott jewelry store.
TOWN OF BROOKFIELD - As a girl growing up in Kenosha, Kendra Scott was fascinated by the life of her aunt, Jo Ann Anen, who was fashion director for Gimbels department stores in Milwaukee.
“For me she was like this dynamic, gorgeous, smart, amazing, independent woman, traveling to Milan and Paris for all the shows,” she said.
Scott loved viewing slides of runway shows from places where her Aunt Jo Ann had traveled.
“We would be looking at them, and she was teaching me trend forecasting at age 7 and 8,” Scott said. “It was amazing.”
Today, some people look at Kendra Scott with the awe she had for her aunt.
Scott took her passion for fashion and, starting small by selling door-to-door to boutiques, has built a $250 million and growing jewelry company that bears her name. Her jewelry is sold by Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and other retailers in addition to her own Kendra Scottbranded stores.
On Friday, Scott, who now lives in Texas, came back to her home state and met with employees at Wisconsin’s first Kendra Scott store, which opened last week at The Corners of Brookfield, a large new retail-residential development on W. Blue Mound Road just east of S. Barker Road. It is her 58th store.
“To have a store in my home state is just beyond,” Scott said. “It’s like the little girl’s dream that someday this could happen. And it happened. Here we are.”
Kendra Scott jewelry generally features distinctive natural stones, with prices starting at about $50. The stores also have begun selling Kendra Scott brand home décor, such as picture frames and trays, and nail lacquer.
Scott said she often finds jewelry stores to be intimidating, so hers are set up to
be bright and inviting — a place where jewelry can be handled and tried on, and where friends can get together for custom design events.
Every store has a community outreach manager.
Scott said she is a big believer in supporting local civic and charitable organizations.
While open here only a week, The Corners of Brookfield Kendra Scott store already has donated 50 pieces of jewelry for the May 3 Sojourner Fashion Show in Milwaukee, which benefits Sojourner Family Peace Center, an organization that helps victims of domestic violence.
As a designer, Scott said, her favorite thing is “to play with color, mix color.” It’s one of her roles on the company’s design team. It takes about a year for a new collection of jewelry to take shape.
“Right now I’m designing springsummer of 2018,” she said.
Scott, who launched her first store in 2010 in Austin, Texas, said she travels to each new store that opens to meet — hug, actually — the staff.
But she made it a priority to hurry to the store in Wisconsin, a state where she still has relatives, as quickly as possible after it opened.
“It’s almost surreal,” she said. “It’s a dream come true. I know that sounds like a cliché. But growing up in Kenosha, Milwaukee was the big city. Coming here was magical. I always loved the city.”
Kendra Scott took her passion for fashion and, starting small by selling door-to-door to boutiques, has built a $250 million and growing jewelry company that bears her name.