Women business owners in Edgehill gather outside the Edgehill Studios Cafe. From left are Erin Weston-Myers of Simply Pilates, Vickie Young of Queen Bee, Juanita Lane of Dulce Desserts, Wilmecia Robinson of International Trendsetters, Kay Joiner of Edgehill Studios Cafe, Rachel Kice of Rkice Art, Chelsey Lentini of Flaunt and Jennifer Lytle of N2Skin. (STEVEN S. HARMAN / THE TENNESSEAN)
Tuesday, 06/12/07
Female power pulls neighborhood together
Women business owners join forces to revitalize Edgehill Village
By HOLLIE DEESE
Staff Writer
Think of it as just hanging out with the girls, but instead of sipping wine and dishing dirt, you're brainstorming business ideas. And with the number of women who have opened up shop in Edgehill, you'd think it was a sorority of sorts.
Edgehill Village and Villa Place host nearly two dozen businesses, many of them led by women. And instead of competing, they're all working together on marketing ideas to bring more traffic to the area. They have even collaborated on ads and are working to organize a neighborhood event in the fall.
"We all take each other's brochures and flyers and hand them out," says Kay Joiner, who owns Edgehill Studios Cafe with her husband, David. Open for two years, it's one of the older businesses at the hip new development. "N2Skin had a dermatologist down here last Saturday and I did coffee coupons to hand out to her customers."
Joiner, who has her degree in fashion merchandising, has brought that experience to this venture. In fact, a lot of the ladies consider Joiner and the coffee shop the heart of Edgehill Village.
"We are out there in these little arteries and the shop has really pulled us all together," says Jennifer Lytle, owner of N2Skin. "She is always taking care of us, feeding us, and I'm assuming a lot of the other owners would tell you the exact same thing."
One of the "new girls," Wilmecia Robinson, knows she can count on Joiner to refer people to her boutique, International Trendsetters, and enjoys the sense of community Edgehill has to offer. Originally planning to open her shop at Hickory Hollow Mall in Antioch, she changed her mind when she learned there were so many women business owners in boutique-heavy Edgehill. "It is a good fit for me," Robinson says. "I'll send someone over to the coffee shop and she'll send someone over here. We are working together."
They're happy together
And it seems all of the women feel the same way, happy to be working together in the development.
"I think it is definitely a win-win," says Lori King, owner of My Sister's Closet, a high-end consignment shop with everything from Dolce & Gabbana to Versace. "We all kind of get together if we are having issues about budget, money, anything." Originally from Ohio, King opened her shop in Edgehill Thanksgiving Day weekend. She has another outpost in Green Hills that she opened a few years ago.
Looking to reach a different demographic, King, like many of the other business owners, thought Edgehill could offer easy access to the Vanderbilt and Belmont students. And she isn't worried about competing with the ladies who surround her. "We all have a different clientele," she says.
And that is more by happenstance than by design.
Guys are welcome
Developed and managed by Commercial Industrial Real Estate Associates, the vision is to create a village with a variety of shops, and developer Steve Asbury wants to stay true to that, no matter if the business owner is a man or a woman. In this case, it just so happens that the businesses coming to Edgehill were helmed by women.
The shop next door to King, Flaunt, is another boutique but caters to plus-size women. Owned by Chelsey Lentini, who opened the same weekend as King, Flaunt carries trendy clothing items and accessories.
"I think it is really empowering and inspiring," says Lentini. "Whenever you are having a bad day, it is great to go to someone else and vent and let it out. They listen to you and think of something to say to motivate you to come back to work the next day."
And though many of them are new to the retail business, they all have life skills in other areas to draw from, which Vickie Young, owner of Queen Bee Papers & Gifts, appreciates coming from a non-retail background herself. "We all bring a lot of different experience to the table. I used to renovate and sell houses."
There are some male-owned businesses in the area, like Joe's Barber Shop, but they're definitely in the minority. "I try not to make waves in the water," says Joe Eagles, owner of Joe's Barber Shop. "Everyone gets along well, and I guess I fit in pretty well, too."
But that probably has more to do with the blend of personalities than the boy vs. girl factor.
"They are all a great bunch of women, and we all have good ideas," says King. "The camaraderie is really good. We all help each other stay positive and move forward."
And if the women are happy, Asbury is happy. "It accomplishes my objective to create an urban village, a place where you can go shopping, get a glass a wine, get some coffee. It is a neighborhood."
Women-owned businesses in the Edgehill area
Dulce Desserts, 1207 Villa Place, 321-8700
Bakery using only natural ingredients.
Edgehill Studios Cafe, 1201 Villa Place #105, 301-8539, www.edgehillstudios.com. Cyber cafe with on-site print shop, graphic designer and free Wi-Fi.
Eye Candy, 1201 Villa Place #103, 321-1363, www.eyecandysalon.net. Salon with skin, makeup and hair services.
Flaunt, 1200 Villa Place, #111, 329-6779, www.theflauntboutique.com. Trendy plus-size boutique.
International Trendsetters, 1200 Villa Place #112, 340-5003. Women's clothing boutique with Miami flair.
My Sister's Closet, 1200 Villa Place #114, 340-0910. High-end consignment shop.
N2Skin, 1201 Villa Place #203, 322-9697, www.n2skin.com. Skin spa specializing in facials, hair removal and massages.
Queen Bee Papers & Gifts, 1200 Villa Place #110, 327-9772. Stationery and gift shop.
Rkice, 1200 Villa Place #401, www.rachelkice.com. To set up an appointment, call Karen M. Tallier of Loud Mouth Media at 244-9015. Art gallery and performance art studio of Rachel Kice.
Simply Pilates, 1207 Villa Place, 321-5200, www.simplypilatesnashville.com Pilates studio.
Coming soon to Edgehill
Look for a bubble tea, urban patio furniture store, a custom cosmetics shop and Rosario's Mexican restaurant.