Monica Rios and her husband, Victor Rios, signed the lease for their northwest Jada Loft Boutique location in February 2020. At the time, they had no idea what was on the horizon, but the COVID-19 pandemic would shape their business for the years to come.
“We originally were actually planning on opening a beauty salon,” Monica shared, adding the focus would be on lashes and nails. However, the husband-and-wife team rethought their plan when beauty salons became among the first businesses to close. “We kind of had to rethink and reinvent ourselves.”
Luckily, fashion was also Monica’s forte, so Jada Loft Boutique was born. This clothing store, named after her children Jace and Daniella, is meant for women of all ages.
The northwest store, located at the base of Somersett, became their baby. “It’s just an amazing, amazing client base,” Monica said, adding that many shoppers come in from Verdi as well.
Despite the change in plans, Jada ended up doing so well that less than two years in, the duo was expanding with a location south of town, this one along South Virginia Street across from the Target shopping center. Monica said the second store made sense because many people are unwilling to drive across town to go shopping.
Not only does Monica source out employees who are engaged with clientele and offer personal shopping experiences, but they even change up the music to suit customers in-store and greet each with a complimentary glass of champagne or mimosa when they walk in.
While some of the inventory is the same, there are differences between the two spaces.
“Our demographic is what makes it really different,” Monica said. The south location has a bit of a younger feel, although the inventory still serves teenagers to women in retirement. Monica uses her family as a point of reference, noting that her teenage daughter, herself and her mother can all shop at both Jada Loft Boutique locations. “We pride ourselves on being women’s clothing for all ages.”
Monica attends two yearly trade shows to source clothing found in Jada. While they are held in Las Vegas, companies from all over the world come to the shows to sell goods, many from the states. There are hundreds of vendors there, giving Monica plenty of creative control over inventory.
That being said, it’s impossible not to succumb to some trends. When most vendors sell wide-leg pants, it’s pretty clear you will have some of those in your store. While trends do drive some sales, Monica said the larger emphasis is on well-made pieces that last more than a season.
“We probably offer a little more color and pattern,” she said, comparing her store to Midtown boutiques and noting she frequently shops Nomad Boutique with her daughter. There are neutrals, but they’re not the focus.
Monica also aims to champion other small brands, so many items in her stores will come from other mom-and-pop-style shops. This is especially true of the home goods, including mugs, candles, bath bombs and jewelry, which come almost exclusively from small brands. Many of the T-shirts fall into this category, too.
“This was really a huge leap that we took with doing this,” Monica said of getting into retail. Her family relocated to Reno 14 years ago, both herself and her husband working for Grand Sierra Resort. While Victor still works for the hotel company, Monica left to pursue her other dreams.
“This was very different for me to land into this,” she said. “It’s night and day.”
While Monica managed more than 500 employees at GSR, she says running two stores with her manager and a team of sales associates is much more challenging—even though she wouldn’t change it for the world.
“Our customers… they really keep me going on days where being a small business owner is trying,” Monica said. “We’re so blessed for the people who support us.”
If customers shop often, they are automatically added to a list of VIPs and invited to customer appreciation events, including small bites, drinks and exclusive discounts. Even if you’re not a frequent shopper, anyone can rent out the store for a day of shopping with friends or a special event such as a bridal or baby shower, which includes shopping discounts and control of the stereo.
“We try to make [shopping] as personal as possible,” Monica said.
