Julie Shone-Baker, owner of Elan Women’s Wear

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Style Observations by Vicki Bernie, Special To The Dayton Jewish Observer

Vicki Bernie

Julie Shone-Baker, owner of Elan Women’s Wear, really knows how to sew. Her appreciation for fine fabrics and sewing lessons came from her grandmother, who “treated herself to a beautiful Singer cabinet machine during the Depression, and made gorgeous clothes for my mother.” Julie’s mother, LaVerne Shone, taught her about merchandising and buying, and ran Elan for 29 of its 31 years, until she passed away in 2007.

Julie, who grew up in Catalpa Woods, started working alongside her mother at Elan in 1981, when she was 20.

“I was nervous about taking the baton,” Julie says. “But this was the right place for me from the beginning. It was just a click. I have always loved being with people and putting the clothes together. It seems like I have a talent for it. And its funny — for me, it’s as much about connecting with them and the making of their big events. I have been known to be in here before New Year’s Eve or Art Ball, basting someone’s outfit!”

Recently, at her Miami Valley School 30th class reunion, Julie’s friends reminded her that she was always putting them together.

“I was the one dressing my girlfriends, deciding what our cheer uniforms should look like. I guess I got it from my Mom.”

Before Elan, her parents, LaVerne and Arthur Shone, ran Glamour, a modeling agency and charm school. Julie worked for them as a teenager, with a growing appreciation for fabrics and silhouettes.

“I have to say, with my daughter (Erin, 15), it’s genetic,” Julie says. “She loves to try on our dresses. She just had her homecoming and she was fashion advisor to the whole class. There is some kind of legacy here, not so much taught. Even for my son (Josh, 12), although he is more about football jerseys. But when he takes the time to get dressed up, he likes people to tell him that he looks nice.”

Julie’s husband, Chris Baker, stepped in after LaVerne died to handle Elan’s pricing, computers, and banking.

“I prefer buying and selling,” Julie says. “Its been a great combination. Everyone says, ‘You are nuts for working with your husband,’ but we schedule it so that there’s plenty of togetherness, but not too much. I am so thankful to have somebody like him.”

Julie says success comes from treating customers well and having a great staff to back it up. Her staff, she adds, is more like family.

“When vendors come into town and they meet my staff and customers, they always comment on how remarkable the people are,” she says.

A year after the start of the recession, Julie says things are picking back up.

“Last year, about this time, the bottom dropped out of our entire business. There were points when I didn’t know what the future was going to hold.”

She also didn’t want to let the staff down and cut back their hours.

“I’m hoping we will be able to give it our best for a long time to come as well as continuing to keep the charitable events and outreach flowing.”

Over the past decade, Julie has produced fashion runway shows for fund-raisers put on by the Dayton Opera Guild, Dayton Art Institute and Women’s Wellness.

The store, at Fountain Square on Far Hills Avenue in Kettering, carries mostly European merchandise and, Julie says, “less and less lines than you can find at the local department stores.”

Selecting the right fabrics, resisting passing trends and encouraging clients to buy what works best for their aesthetic, eye and lifestyle seem to work best.

“Fashion is an ever evolving, perishable business,” Julie says. “Bringing the best of what we find in Europe and New York to Dayton, we sell our customers clothing that is appropriate for their figure and their life. With an eye on quality and what’s tasteful, we try to have accessible looks and price points for so many different kinds of women.”

Not very many local stores have been around for 30 years and Julie attributes much of that to loyal clientèle and word of mouth.

“We think this is a small town, and we know everyone, but every week someone comes in that we don’t know. Also it’s fun when the next generation starts coming around, having a lifestyle that is more of a match with our clothing. Our customers want to look special with unique, interesting fabrics — clothes that are put together in a way that they won’t see themselves out on the streets.”