Jackson Free Press

Have you ever met somebody and thought to yourself, "I wish I would have known this person when I was younger. Maybe things would have turned out differently." That was precisely the feeling I had when I sat down with Ashley Weileman, owner of Josie's Closet.

The 22-year-old is the proprietor of this hip little treasure of a boutique tucked in the basement of Fondren Corner. As I sat down with her, I couldn't help but note the similarities between us—she smokes the same cigarettes; we even like the same kind of candy. Like me, Weileman grew up playing dress-up with her mother's elegant frocks and dreamed of the day she would have her own fancy boutique. Unlike me, Weileman stuck with that dream, and about three months ago with the help of her mother and others she made Josie's Closet a reality.

"I took a trip out to L.A., met with some designers and asked if they would like to liquidate, and they said yes," she said.

But Josie's Closet, named after Weileman's fashionable aunt, is more than just a simple outlet. It is a statement. Weileman offers up an urban edge that she hopes will catch on. She dreams of a new, more hip Jackson where vintage is in and kitsch is king. And she hopes to influence others to follow her lead so that designer duds can be sported by all.

As Weileman sees it: "You can't compare yourself to anyone else. You are your own original."

That's good, because Weileman is a tough act to follow. The native Mississippian went abroad after high school to study stained glass and sculpture in both Greece and Italy and wants to some day go back to school to become a conservator. One day she hopes to travel around the country preserving the past in honor of the present and infusing hope in the future.

Weileman is an artist at heart and wants all those artists out there to know they always have a place in her closet. The walls in her shop are adorned with Harry Day paintings. She also features fused-glass pieces by Wendy Eddleman and reliquaries by Joan Yound.

"I like to support artists and I want them to be able to grow and produce more," she explained.

Josie' s Closet is open daily. The prices are more than reasonably priced, so go inside and look for yourself at what Jackson could and should be.

Previous Comments

ID

82349

Comment

i have just yet gotten to know this amazing lady. congratulations, ashley on all your accomplishments!!!

Author

chrissy

Date

2004-12-09T13:12:53-06:00

ID

82350

Comment

in my opinion, josie's closet has the funkiest, most fun jewelry in town! anyone who has yet to shop @ josie's closet should get themselves there as soon as possible because ashley is always getting in hot new clothes and jewelry, and then, before you have a chance to cash your paycheck, women swoop down like vultures and buy the best pieces and, in my case, the small sizes...rock on ashley!!

Author

Amelia

Date

2004-12-09T13:51:19-06:00

ID

82351

Comment

If I could fit into those clothes, i would totally buy from there, but i like to go in there and just dream about it!!!

Author

getoffme

Date

2004-12-10T14:35:22-06:00

ID

82352

Comment

ok, tell me just where this place is exactly! some of us from the rural hinterlands , such as Vicksburg (ok, just hinterlands..) don't know where that 'Fondren Corner' is - by Rainbow? let us know, please!

Author

sunshine

Date

2004-12-10T14:58:16-06:00

ID

82353

Comment

Sunshine, Fondren Corner is the big multi-colored building on State Street (head up the hill out of the Rainbow parking lot, and you're there). Josie's Closet is in the basement, directly across the street from the Fondren P.O.

Author

kate

Date

2004-12-10T15:51:27-06:00

ID

82354

Comment

i wanna make ashley my kitty cat and have her purring int eh sun on my window seal. . . signed, the artist formerly known as Swims with Sharks

Author

harrymday

Date

2004-12-10T15:58:31-06:00