Small business makes strides in Seaford

Wanting to work for myself and not for anyone else is what made me realize this was my calling,” small business owner Joanna Stewart said. “I’ve been working since I was 13 and I’ve never stopped.”

The 27-year-old Joanna Stewart, owner of Joelle Jay in Seaford, is excited to see her small boutique thrive on the busiest day of the year. As Black Friday approached followed by Small Business Saturday, Stewart was prepared to take on the mass of shoppers. How? With mimosas, of course.

“I come from a luxury retail background because I used to work for the Shoebox at the Americana for many years,” the Bellmore native said. “My boss at the time, Richie, was very inspirational for me because his parents started the business up and they kept it going for so long. He ran the show and did it all. He definitely started from the bottom.”

At age 19, Stewart opened up a boutique in Merrick but after two years of struggling to stay afloat, the business closed down. Although she was nervous to open another store, Stewart knew she had to give it a shot.

“I was at Lester’s clothing store for about a year,” Stewart said. “I would wake up and drive there every morning and I would picture Lester’s sign saying ‘Joanna’s.’ I knew that one day I was going to own a store like that.”

With a blessing from her parents, who were also self-made business owners, and a passion for fashion, Stewart opened up Joelle Jay this past October, just in time for the holiday season.

“What I had in my head from the corporate fashion world, Richie at the Shoebox and my time at Lester’s started to come together,” Stewart said. “I asked myself, ‘What do I love the most?’ And I wanted a store that would make people feel good.”

Although the small accessory shop is nestled in the corner of a shopping strip, it’s location on Sunrise Highway and accessibility to the Seaford train station brings in customers from all over, a perk that Stewart enjoys most about her new business.