Jason Dunigan is opening J.G. Smith Premium Denim & Thread above Main Street Books. (David Boraks photo)
His J.G. Smith Premium Denim & Thread opens tonight
J.G. Smith Premium Denim & Thread will offer a sneak preview of its new shop downtown above Main Steet Books tonight (Friday, Jan. 15). Created by Davidson resident Jason Dunigan, the shop will offer women’s bluejeans, designer clothing and accessories and, eventually, men’s clothing.
Mr. Dunigan is a personal stylist whose private clients pay him for fashion advice and shopping. (He calls himself a “confessed shopaholic.”) Last year, he came up with the idea of expanding into a retail shop for customers who might not be able to afford the services of a personal stylist.
The concept, he says, is “personal shopping and personal styling in a retail setting.” His style, he says, relies on “classic pieces,” accented with unusual accessories. “Any trendy piece you have should look good with whatever you’re wearing,” he says.
At the same time, he’ll be trying to hit a sweet spot on pricing for his clients. “I don’t think it takes a lot of money to look good,” he says.
Blue jeans, for example, will run from $65 to $200. He’ll also have dresses and other clothing as well as accessories including handbags and jewelry.
Mr. Dunigan has lived in Davidson 4 years with his wife, Wendy, a nurse in Charlotte, and 4 kids, ages 2-14.
He is one of those people who doesn’t seem to need sleep – he works several jobs simultaneously. Besides his new venture, he is an administrative assistant in the radiology department at Presbyterian Hospital on weekends. And he runs a janitorial service, which he is currently using to self-fund his startup clothing business.
Mr. Dunigan originally planned to open on the third floor of the new Stowe’s Corner building at South Main and South streets. He had hoped to open in that space last October, but “a number of setbacks that I had no control of … resulted in the relocation.”
The shift in location turns out to have its benefits. He said the four-room Main Street space will let him get moving more quickly with his plans, and has allowed him to expand his plans to include men’s clothing, which he’ll introduce in spring.
He says he’ll have a limited amount of inventory at tonight’s opening in his new shop, at 126 S. Main St., Suite 2A, above Main Street Books. Beginning next week, he plans to open Tuesdays to Fridays 11-6 and Saturdays noon to 4.
