MEET JULLIAN AND KRISTA CO-OWNERS OF CHIC AVENUE BOUTIQUE
GIRLS ARE POWERFUL 2020 SPONSOR
CONFIDENT is Jillian’s favorite power word. “It’s literally our namesake,” says Jillian. “Our mission is to create happiness and inspire confidence.” Jillian also likes the word confident because, “it’s something we are
often taught to shy away from as women. I love that we inspire confidence in adults. Starting to teach that at a younger age is really important.”
Jillian and her sister Krista are co-owners of Chic Avenue Boutique, an online and popup women’s clothing boutique looking to create happiness and inspire confidence – or “chic” – in women through style and community. The events of 2020 “opened our eyes to the work that we need to do as a business … both giving back to our community and supporting the BIPOC community.” BIPOC is an acronym for black, indigenous and people of color. “When we started reading about Girls Are Powerful, we thought it was a perfect fit … a really good way to intentionally and authentically support an organization that supports girls of color.”
Chic Avenue Boutique in 2020 donated to Girls Are Powerful 10 percent of sales from their Shop for a Cause event, along with 100 percent of profits from the sale of the Beautiful Hearts Tee (pictured at right), a Chic Avenue Exclusive showcasing the beauty of diversity in our community. “We had an overwhelming amount of support from our customers and the chic avenue community when we told them were supporting Girls Are Powerful,” says Jillian. “Our missions align so well.”
For the sisters, the Girls Are Powerful mission hits close to home. “I carry so many lessons I learned from the ages of 7 to 17 – some positive, some negative,” says Jillian. “We know the impact that can have in your life into adulthood.” Krista has 5-year-old twin daughters. “We’re already seeing the impact we’re having on them. They’re playing boutique all the time and they want to help us in the shop and to have their own little businesses.”
Jillian and Krista are constantly striving to boost self-esteem and confidence in their chic avenue community. “It’s hard to teach women who didn’t have that boost when they were younger … be proud of yourself. Be proud of your body. Be proud of the life that you’re living. We love the fact that Girls Are Powerful works with young women and is empowering them at such a young age with leadership opportunities and educational experiences. It’s really about believing in yourself. The younger we can start teaching that to girls, the better.”
Proceeds from this sponsorship created a scholarship fund to support our 2020 virtual programs: Summer of Power and the Mother-Daughter Retreat
