Jami Howard Rush Clothing Boutique
Life is all about taking chances. Sometimes those chances turn into wonderful opportunities, sometimes they do not. Young entrepreneur, Jami Howard, took a chance on starting a clothing boutique and it has turned out to be wondrous.
Tightly nestled back on Kingston Street in Lenoir City, Tennessee, Rush Clothing Boutique has taken the small town by storm in recent months. Howard started the business out of her house at the beginning of 2019 and recently opened her first storefront in February.
Howard’s inspiration for having her own business comes from her parents. They had their own electrical company and she learned the ins and outs of running a business from them. Working for herself has been a dream, according to Howard. She loves being able to wear whatever she wants and be her own boss.
At her previous job, she was unsure of what she felt passionate about and what she wanted to pursue as a career. Then, one night as she lay in bed, she had a wake up call and it was that she was passionate about clothing. This is when she decided to open her own boutique.
“I love the clothing and I love empowering women,” Howard said. “I started doing research and in two weeks, I had the business legally and it was in my house.”
The whole process happened really fast for Howard. Once she figured out what she wanted to do, she went for it and accomplished it. She attributes her opportunity to God and is thankful for the blessings she has received.
“With how fast it was, you couldn’t stop it,” Howard said. “It was definitely a God thing.”
Howard feels as though this was meant to happen for her and has not looked back.
“I wasn’t really looking for anything, like a storefront, until I made a wrong turn…I thought that this was the dry cleaners because I had to take a couple of jackets there and I said that I was in the wrong place. So, I was on my phone googling where the dry cleaners place was and I was pulling out and there was just a ‘for rent’ sign on the door and I could afford the rent and then in a couple of days I had the lease, signed it [and] got the key and then my opening day was a week after that.”
Howard learned a lot from her parents but also is still in school pursuing a degree in business management so she is learning as she goes through that program as well. Since owning her own business, Howard’s mindset has changed. She’s realized that there’s a variety of things one has to do as a business owner.
“You have to stay busy,” Howard said. “You have to always be on your A-game to stay busy and your job and to maintain a good clientele and be kind…just be a genuine person and try to be as outgoing as you can be–just be authentic and unique.”
Rush is truly a unique place. The minute you walk in, you feel a sense of welcomeness and calmness. Howard uses a variety of decor to make the shop feel homey – personal photos and other home decor items. She also picks clothing that is not only trendy, but wallet friendly. She wants to cater to everyone because not everyone can afford high end boutique prices.
Business at the boutique has been fruitful these last few months and Howard plans to continue growing. Within the next year, she hopes to have another store up and running.
Follow Rush on Facebook and Instagram @rush_clothing_boutique