By Josh Bootsma
LANSING, Ill. (August 17, 2022) – There’s a new cafe on Ridge Road, but it’s not for food. It’s for fashion.
Owner Joi Houston treated family, friends, and members of the Lansing community to a taste of J’dejean Fashion Cafe on Wednesday as she cut the ribbon on her new clothing boutique. Located at 3431 Ridge Road, the clothing store has affordable clothes for women and will soon have similar offerings for men.
The grand opening of the business will take place on Sunday, August 21, from 3 – 7 p.m., and is the final realization of Houston’s dream.
Journey to Lansing
“I love fashion and anything beauty. Anything to beautify you, I love it, from skincare to the outfits that you put on. It’s always been a dream and now I’ve been able to accomplish what I’ve wanted to accomplish,” Houston said.
Houston said she worked at the Federal Reserve Bank for 22 years before deciding in 2019 to start her own skincare business in Homewood. When COVID hit however, she had to close her suite.
“My skincare business took a hit and so when I opened back up my clients were coming in slowly, so that’s when I decided to open up an online [clothing] boutique,” Houston said, adding that her online clothing customers quickly started requesting an in-person buying experience.
Having worked out at Gladiator Fit Club in Lansing (3340 Ridge Road), Houston was attracted to downtown Ridge as a potential spot for her storefront. When the 3431 property came on the market, she jumped at the opportunity, spent months working with contractors to transform the former salon space into a clothing boutique, and ordered inventory.
Houston gave her new business a name that is uniquely hers — J’dejean (pronounced “jay-dee-jeen”). She said, “My name is Joi Dejean Houston, so it’s really just short for my name — J’dejean.”
On sale at J’dejean
“I have up-to-date, trendy clothes for the young adults and the older crowd, both. I kind of have some of everything,” Houston said.
As chamber members wandered around the store on Wednesday, Houston and others were working to stock inventory throughout the store. Currently only stocked with women’s fashion, Houston is waiting on her inventory of mens clothes to arrive in the coming days.
“Our prices range from anywhere between $25 up to $90. I consider that to be pretty reasonable,” she said.
The entrepreneur invited the Lansing community and fashion-lovers anywhere to visit J’dejean Fashion Cafe on Sunday, August 21 between 3 – 7 p.m. to enjoy the grand opening of the store.
J’dejean Fashion Cafe is located at 3431 Ridge Road. The store’s standard hours will be 10 a.m. – 8 p.m., Monday–Saturday, and 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Sunday.
