By Pat Lawrence
Jan Jonas, Owner, Simple Pleasures. |
Simple Pleasures, on Grand Central Avenue in Vienna, seems more
of a composition than a store. The rooms are spacious and well
lit. The gifts are whimsical, the home accessories, charming and both
are deftly arranged without crowding. The styles are Country
French and Contemporary Comfort. The colors are fresh - sage,
pale yellow, crisp white. The owner will remember your name. It’s
an inviting, very personal place to shop.
Owner Jan Jonas took a complicated route on the way to Simple Pleasures.
For fourteen years, she juggled long hours as a restaurant manager
and took classes toward a degree in accounting when she could. It
took nearly fourteen years to achieve her goal. She promptly
took an accounting position as assistant to the controller for a local
manufacturing company.
And hated it. “By the time I finally got my degree, I
was through with accounting! I had managed restaurants through
all those years and I missed the people and the conversation. ”
The original idea for Simple Pleasures had started while she was
taking business classes. It kept growing, and two years ago she applied
for a business license and started going to trade shows. She
says, “I read a lot of books. But, there’s always
something that isn’t in the book!”
Establishing a credit line without outside financing has been tougher
than she expected. “Last month I bought merchandise from
35 different companies that didn’t know me. Just getting
30 day terms, and not having to pay cash, is a big step forward.”
With 2500 sq. ft. to fill, Simple Pleasures has room for home furnishings
like Martha Stewart Signature Collection sleigh beds along with tasteful
displays of candles and unique decorative items. Jan says. “The
store is actually about twice the size I originally planned. We didn’t
intend to sell furniture, but when the opportunity came up, it seemed
like the best idea.”
Simple Pleasures also sells antiques, many restored by Jan’s
father who also built her counter and display mantle. “Some
of the initial orders were late for opening day and the store was
going to have bare spaces. So, I found antiques to fill the spaces. Instead
of a disaster, it was actually a good thing. I had envisioned
having antiques eventually. Now the store looks like I wanted
it to right at the start. My father keeps telling me people are
supposed to expand after they open the store, not before, but I’m
happy with how it turned out.”
Jan’s sister, Andrea Hardman, is a graphic artist who designed
the Simple Pleasures logo and helps choose items for the store. Prices
are as varied as the selection of the store. An elegant armoire
is $3000. A box of brightly colored zinnia candles is $12. A
darling decorative duck is $49. Jan is ordering and preparing
now for the holiday season, planning the window designs and themes
for multiple trees, promising, “We seriously decorate for Christmas!”
After five months, Jan says the shop is meeting her projections and
her expectations. “And, now I enjoy coming to work on Monday. There
is so much to do- and the nicest people come to shop here.”
For more information, call 304-295-6800 or visit Simple Pleasures
at 2808 Grand Central Avenue in Vienna (1 mile north of Parkesburg)
or www.simplepleasures.net
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