JO+CO Jasper is coming! (finally)

You know when you're anxiously waiting for something to happen because you're looking forward to it every day, but then it seems like it takes FOREVER to get there?  Yeah, that's the story of our Jasper store.  It feels like it's been years in the planning, because it has been.  

Our plans to move the Huntingburg store to Jasper started shortly after I returned from maternity leave with Emmett almost 2.5 years ago. We were approached about possibly going into the new River Centre project that was just in the beginning stages. At that time, I wasn't looking to move our Huntingburg store at all, but the more I listened to the developer's ideas and concepts, the more I wanted to take the leap and do it.  At the time, the businesses who were planning on going in were entrepreneurs around my age who also saw the big picture for this development and our businesses.  However, as time went on and the further we got into it, the more it just didn’t feel like the right time or space.

As beautiful as I think that development is going to turn out, I was one of the very few businesses committing early on to go into something so new.  There were still several spots of retail to fill and development to be done, and my gut was telling me, this isn't the right time.  I needed to either wait it out for more businesses to commit or find a different space in an already established area.

In November last year, I announced the heartbreaking decision I made to postpone opening our store in Jasper until we could find another space. In simple terms, it sucked.  I shut down our Huntingburg store thinking it was going to be a very temporary situation, and now I had no space or timeline for my store.  I had no idea where our next space would be or when it would even happen — but I just knew if it was meant to be, it would be.  I needed to trust myself and my gut when it came to my business, and I knew something would eventually happen.

Earlier this year, my family and I moved closer to downtown Jasper and we all would take evening strolls around the downtown area. I love downtown Jasper.  I love the restaurants, the unique retail, how clean it is, and how it's so easy to walk to everything.  I would always walk by this one space and just think, “God I wish that space was mine. It has big beautiful windows. Tall ceilings. This could be our home.” It had an amazing tenant already occupying it, but it didn't stop me from dreaming.  Then last week, in late May, I received news that store on the square was going to be closing & that space I’ve been dreaming of was going to be available.

I knew this was the space for us.  My gut was telling me and time was telling me, this was it.  In retrospect, it's amazing how simple and easy something can be when it's simply meant to be.  The negotiations on this space were far less stressful - no fuss, no muss, no back and forth.  The landlord and I were on the same page about our vision for downtown Jasper and all it has to offer.  It reminded me a lot about how our Newburgh store came to fruition.

A lease was signed, keys were handed over, and construction will start soon. We will be starting our new home at 609 Main St on the square in downtown Jasper as JO+CO come this August & I could not be more excited. There are so many exciting things happening to this community & I’m excited to even be just a small part of it.  I hope to see you all at our JO+CO Jasper store early this fall!

PS - for those who don’t know, my middle name is “Jo” and I have a daughter named Josephine, AKA little “Jo".  It’s a family name that has been passed down from generation to generation & I hope to continue to make my family proud with this little legacy!