The Franklin Square area is a really lovely shopping, dining, and entertainment district that boasts a wonderful assortment of businesses on and off of Main Street. I have never really spent any time exploring this neighborhood and was delighted to spend a few hours there last week. I skipped around from shop to shop and ended up at Jondie after my visit to Emmaline.
While Emmaline is a high-end boutique which offers contemporary designer wares that command some attention to your Visa, Jondie is a more affordable albeit less impressive option that is just across the street.
I like what Jondie represents, as the shopgirl was warm and friendly and offered up assistance as soon as I walked in. I also appreciate that they proudly promote that this is a family-owned business that take a lot of pride in their scope of work. I noticed that much of the merchandise had Jondie labels which I was curious about... it appears that they design and manufacture their company brand with both the apparel and accessories collections that are sold in their store. Kudos to that!
The store is comprised of two smaller rooms that are stocked with a wide assortment of super affordable clothing, jewelry, and accessories that include hats, scarves, and more. If you're an avid mall or big box retailer shopper, the price-points are similar to what you may find at a Sears, Francesca's, or American Eagle and you should consider giving this place a whirl so that you can support a local business.
I personally didn't find anything that I "just needed to have" but did try on one trendy little black dress that had fun little fringe sleeves. It was priced at right around $65 and cute but in the end, I didn't like an awkward looking seam that was located down the front of the dress. Too bad... as I think that I probably would have purchased it but it just made the dress look cheaply made. I'm pretty picky when it comes to clothing construction and appearance so it may not have bothered some but I put the dress back.
While I don't think that I'll personally be a regular at Jondie, I love that they offer fashion at a fractional cost. Why shop the mall when you can shop local and from such a great location!
TIP: The second shopping area is in the back room (behind the fitting rooms) and has a full sales rack. read more