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She may not like shopping herself, but Jessica Folino, owner of Ari Layne Boutique in Goodyear, loves — and is very good at — dressing other people, building relationships and serving her local community. Even before the boutique was born, Folino’s entrepreneurial spirit was active from the beginning.
“I started in retail when I was in college,” Folino explained. “I started working in a golf shop at a private golf facility in Georgia where I’m from. I worked there for a few years and realized that I loved serving people in the retail space. I loved customer service by working with members and was given additional responsibilities such as meeting with suppliers and purchasing, budgeting and going to trade shows.
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Once she graduated from college with a business degree, Folino moved on to become the general manager of a local private golf club, where she worked for five years before moving to Arizona when she got married in 2011.
“I still consulted for a few clubs back east and traveled back and forth until 2014 when I had my twins,” she says. “When they were about six months old, I decided to go back to work.”
Ari Gladys, named for her late “Grandma,” combined with the “Lane” where her grandfather and father lived, Ari Laine Boutique began as a dream and a blank canvas. “[The store] “When I started renting the building, it was just concrete and installation,” Folino said.
The store may be empty, but visions of a bustling business have probably been brewing since she was a child. “I spent a lot of time with my grandparents, both of whom were a huge influence in my life. [My granny] Shoes sold in a shoe store for 25 years. She loved to shop and had everything retail and her closet color coordinated. I have always been inspired by the way she lived, dressed and represented herself.
And inspiration has finally appeared to open a women’s clothing store, but the next question is where? Folino quickly recognized something that many other entrepreneurs did: the West Valley’s sky was about to rise. “I knew Goodyear was one of the fastest-growing areas in the region, and I wanted to be centrally located in the master-planned communities – Verrado, Pebble Creek, Litchfield Park, Esrella Mountain, Avondale and 30 minutes from downtown Phoenix.
Before opening her boutique, Folino said there were few specialty clothing options in the West Valley, and she wanted women to have more options outside of big box stores. Now, not even a year later, Arie Laine is making waves all over the West. And for entrepreneurs following in her footsteps, Folino offers the following encouraging advice: “Take the risk. If you do what you love, it’s unlikely to work.”
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