Location inside Boise Towne (yes, with an e) Square Mall is the only drawback for me because while I'm not a fan of shopping malls my first foray into this J. Jill store - I noticed it on my mission-trip to Williams Sonoma - was an excellent one. Friendly service, think Nordstrom'esque for welcoming shopper and assisting with finding items and checking with the shopper in the dressing room, well laid out store and with plenty of space in aisleways, neatly arranged merchandise with plenty of options but not overwhelming in same, sizes from 0 to 2X and Petites too. The manager here could teach a master class to other retailers in the area about how to get it right.
It makes me want to learn how to wear J. Jill clothing because while I have tried in the past, the J. Jill in the Central Oregon city I lived in was accessed from sidewalk in shopping area and didn't require navigating an indoor mall, so I'd go in when passing by, I never have really learned how to make it work for me, although I am for sure their age demographic and the unfussiness of the styling works for my preferences even if some of the designs are too Eileen Fischer'esque shapeless for me and I feel as if I disappear in them. I'm a smaller and shorter person, 5'4" / size 2, and somehow the regular sizes in JJill are too big for me but the petites aren't right either. But my BFF who is 5'7" / 8 looks great in everything she has purchased in this brand over the years, as does a friend who is in the average American woman size of 12 -14 and they are all dedicated shoppers of J.Jill products. (See closing comment...J. Jill cultivates buyer brand loyalty.) The price is right and in particular when they have sales. Next time I am brave enough to go inside the mall I will spend more time here. If they moved the store outside the mall, I'd be there more often.
SERVICE: Dressing rooms are nicely set up. I LOVE that a staff person will check to see if you want a different size or color or item so that you don't have to get dressed to go out to the store floor again. (You hearing this Macy's?)
COMFORTABLE ACCESS FOR EVERYONE: As a shopper with disabilities, I have had multiple sclerosis since college years and it is a progressive disease, I particularly appreciate the perfect ADA compliance for at least 36" clear space in aisles. This has been equal access law since 1990 but you'd be amazed how many retailers, in particular for clothing, treat this as optional. Good for J. Jill corporate and this Boise store manager for taking it seriously. Better access is good for all shoppers, and essential for shoppers like me.
411: If you like knowing something about the retailers you choose to support with your spending (we all vote with our feet and wallets) this Forbes article from September 2022 on J. Jill (named after the original founders' daughter) is a good one to chart the ups, downs ups of the business. (Nothing to do with J. Jill, but when I lived in NJ in 1980 I used to sit on my condo deck on some days and watch Malcom Forbe's Capitalist Tool hot air balloon drifting in the distance. A zillion years ago.) https://www.forbes.com/sites/walterloeb/2022/09/27/jjill-focuses-on-older-women/?sh=6fc27e574b0f
Forbe's investor POSTSCRIPT: J.Jill is seeking greater acceptance with a "Welcome Everybody" campaign. The customer is uniquely loyal to the brand, the sales associates try to establish personal relationships for the brand. Growth is assured with the strong customer base and the broad size assortment. read more