Now, I’ll be the first to admit that this will be - hands down - the silliest, most materialistic blog that has ever graced the pages of this online journal. However, last night I was informed of some heart-wrenching news, and I can’t let this go by without proper recognition.
The only J.Crew store in the entire state of Arkansas is closing its doors on January 24, 2021.
Yes...you did hear me correctly. The only J.Crew in our entire state is closing.
I was meeting a precious friend for dinner at the Promenade out in West Little Rock, and I decided, as all fabulous women should, to go early so that I could bask in window shopping - one of my favorite all time hobbies. Of course, I found myself at the familiar thick black doors of J.Crew, peering into the windows and wondering why in the world the back room of the women’s section was bare.
When I stepped in, I was greeted by kind, fashionable workers who always make me feel at home - and more willing to pull my card out. I started recognizing stacks of sweaters from past winter lines, jackets from last year, summer tees folded by the front door. Suspicious, I side-eyed the worker as he told me that all full price items were half off “while they last.” And then the sickening realization hit my bones, and I asked the dreaded question: “Are you closing?”
“Yes.”
“Like, at six?” (Hopeful, still.)
“No, on January 24.”
*and then everything went black*
Or at least it felt like it. I wandered around the nearly bare store, picking up last minute Christmas presents for loved ones and parting gifts for myself. This slow crawl through the empty racks and bare shelves made me think about all the special outfits I bought from that very shop, the literal cornerstone of the Promenade and my longtime go-to for any gifts, dresses, jewelry, and the iconic pajama sets.
When J.Crew announced that they were filing for bankruptcy a few months into COVID quarantine, I have to admit I was confused because I recklessly ordered from them almost every week I was stuck at home, claiming every new sweater and pair of summer sandals was a gift of global pandemic healing to myself. I truly believed I myself could keep them afloat. Fittingly, there were not a shortage of condolence messages sent to me from all my friends in college who have first hand seen my exclusive J.Crew closet and *slight* obsession. Honestly, the amount of people who texted me links to the article, followed by crying emojis and broken hearts, is embarrassing for me - that soooo many people know this absurdity of mine. Still, I’m not ashamed.
My love for J.Crew can be blamed, really, on my father. The most classy and stylish man I know, I knew at a very young age that I should take him shopping rather than my mom, as he is the one who has that excessively expensive taste I suffer from and falls victim to any Jackie-esque dress I try on, meeting me at the cash register afterwards. (It’s only fitting that when we stumbled upon my wedding dress, it was Dad who spotted it first.) And while J.Crew is by no means expensive compared to the vastness of the high fashion industry, it should not have been in the budget for a middle schooler, the age at which I began accumulating my preppy chic closet to match the beloved store. Thankfully though, I was an abnormally large middle schooler - essentially the same size I am now, in both clothes and shoes...seventh grade was absolutely a hard time in life for me - and so I used the excuse that these clothes would last me a lifetime.
Thus, the beginning of my J.Crew closet.
I wanted to tell some of my favorite stories of shopping at the Promenade’s J.Crew, so we can all cherish them forever, together🤍
A sweet shopping memory that comes to mind was an end of the year trip to Little Rock in an attempt to find the perfect dress to wear for my senior Christmas band concert. I had ordered these stunning satin navy pumps with silver buckles from a boutique out of London, and I had no idea what dress to wear it with. (That’s a mistake I make often - buying the shoes first.) We moseyed around the store, flicking through holiday dresses and sweaters. I kept Dad close, and then we spotted it: an emerald green, three-quarter sleeve, high-neck cocktail dress with a flap on the front. This dress was worn most notably to the band concert, to my senior recognition Sunday, and many Ouachita donor banquets and Festivals of Christmas.
Another iconic J.Crew piece is my jeweled pink wreath earrings that were given as a graduation gift by my grandmother for senior prom. I had eyed them at the Promenade a few weeks before, and after purchasing my velvet black prom dress, these earrings were the only things missing from the dreamiest final prom. Grandma surprised me with them, and since that night, they’ve been featured on the Tiger Tunes stage, at EEE formals, and I believe in another entirely J.Crew ensemble for my senior band concert.
These earrings of course inspired my J.Crew closet to extend to the jewelry box, where you now can find jeweled cluster earrings in almost every color, hoops of every size, and studs worth all the magic in the world. One of my last purchases at the Promenade’s J.Crew was actually the earrings I will wear for my wedding🤍
And finally, the last true I-desperately-need-an-outfit shopping trip to Little Rock’s late Miss J.Crew - I was given the chance to close out Ouachita’s homecoming banquet for Sarah Huckabee Sanders. If there was ever an excuse for a new outfit, it was now. I took Price on his very first Addy shopping trip to J.Crew, and he so thoughtfully helped me pick out a pair of checkered red and black dress pants and a white blouse that had a single row of ruffles at the neck. Just a week later, the world shut down due to COVID, and my J.Crew shopping was limited to online, which sadly just isn’t the same.
I suppose I can find some joy in the thought of visiting J.Crew storefronts while traveling with the people I love; perhaps it will be all the more special then. Until then though, let us all mourn the loss of Little Rock’s shining star and the provider of all classy wardrobes...the late J.Crew.
Here are some of my favorite J.Crew outfits over the years…
Xo. Truly a shopaholic
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