RICHMOND, Va. -- Located on the second level of Short Pump Town Center, accessory boutique Sassy Jones welcomes visitors with striking colors and lively décor. The store houses fashionable apparel, vibrant jewelry and a fan-favorite beauty section for makeup products.
The Richmond-based store opened this location in late 2022. But don’t let the locality fool you. CEO Charis Jones’ store has made around $80 million in global revenue and has most recently landed at #24 on the INC 5000 list, ranking the highest-growing businesses on the planet.
But, for Jones, the road to such success was not always a pretty one.
“It was always in my being to do something in fashion but I couldn’t figure out what it was,” Jones said.
The Hampton Roads native worked several business-related jobs before committing to starting her own.
“I maxed my credit cards out, I sold a car and traveled up and down the East Coast to all of these different events.”
It was at these events Jones identified her specific customer.
“She’s a little sassy, she loves bright colors she loved to tell a story about what she is wearing.”
With this shopper in mind, every Sassy Jones product is uniquely named. The retailer was officially established in 2013 and today boasts 40 full-time members, a team Jones takes immense pride in.
Jones has twin seven-year-old boys with her husband, Keon, who serves as the president of the company. The family business’ flagship store was opened to add a physical element to the primary e-commerce store.
“(I) wanted her (the customer) to be able to walk into a place and feel the energy she thinks she can get online but really get it through the human touch,” Jones said of the location.
“This is the land where the unicorns come to play and there is nothing like it.”
After not finishing college, initially doing business out of her minivan and eventually creating a brand known the world over, the connection between her story and her products are wonderfully and undeniably interwoven.
“It’s the feeling you get it’s not the product at all. It’s a feeling about wearing this new color you’ve never tried, trying something new and stepping outside your comfort zone and see how that enhances so many other areas of your life.” Jones said.
The store sports a large phrase on its wall decreeing “BE UNAPOLOGETICALLY UNSTOPPABLE”, a mantra to visitors that describes Jones’ approach to a tee.
“If I can do it, so can you.”
When asked if she had any advice for other women with dreams as big as hers, Jones stressed the importance of avoiding comparison.
“Start right where you are. Be okay with what it is you are doing, take your right next steps.”
The road to this juncture has been a fulfilling one, but Jones is confident that the best is yet to come.
“It’s amazing. I feel like I am walking in my purpose. And for me, what gives me immense gratitude is literally giving those blessings away.”
The Sassy Jones Short Pump location is open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and on Sundays from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.
