Photograph by Kathy De La Torre
The transformation of Ju Ju's Home Decor and Antiques from an antique shop to an antique and lingerie shop becomes apparent to customers when they see pieces of lingerie, such as this lavender gown, draped over a Ming Dynasty chair.
Local shop owner mixes the solid with the sheer
By Rebecca Ray
At Ju Ju's Home Decor and Antiques, a shopper can not only find furniture for the boudoir, but clothes, as well.
Owner Roxane Furino was having a difficult time finding good-quality antiquities, so she added lingerie to her line of products.
But why lingerie?
From looking at all the day spas and hair and nail salons in Saratoga, Furino said she thought a lingerie business would fit right in and cater to the shop's existing clientele.
"I love the idea," the Saratoga resident said. She made a bold prediction: "I think all women from Saratoga and Los Gatos will shop at this shop on a weekly basis."
Furino said she believes her business, located at 18820 Cox Ave. in the Quito Village shopping center, will do well, and has already had success: Since purchasing about 60 pieces of lingerie from Paris about a month ago, she has sold all but six of them.
Furino also plans to sell items made in Germany and Italy. Eventually, she would like to design her own lingerie, which she plans to have made in Europe, and stop selling antiques. She said she would also like to expand the business to other locations, and has plans to advertise in catalogs and on the Internet.
Antiques and lingerie may seem like an odd combo, but Furino said she has always had a taste for nice, fine items. And, just as she sells the antiques for a wide range of prices, Furino sells lingerie that range in price from $20 to $500.
Rather than being sold in a separate section of the store, the lingerie are interspersed throughout the antique cabinets, cups, saucers, goblets, jewelry, tapestries, dolls, silverware, Japanese fans, couches and chairs. Furino said she thinks the antiques and lingerie complement each other.
While one lavender piece of lingerie is draped over a Ming Dynasty chair, three other pieces hang from a chest and can be seen through the front window. Several packages of lingerie sit on an antique dresser.
"I'm excited about the mix," Furino said. The combination of antiques and lingerie is an established practice in Europe, according to Furino. Her plans for changing her business don't stop with selling lingerie, though.
Once she sells more big antique pieces, she also plans to remodel the interior of the store. An artist will paint the walls, which are currently white and are covered with framed mirrors, paintings and pictures. The walls will be gold with a touch of peach, and as spectators pass them, the walls will appear to change color. A stage for displaying items will also be built.
But not everything will change--the floor will still be covered with antique carpets, Furino said. She will have to close the store for at least a week for the remodeling to take place, which is scheduled around June.
Furino has run her own antique business for the past six years and from its current 1,700-square-foot location for the past two years. Previously, she had a shop in San Jose. But she was involved in the antique business even before that, selling antiques from her home while she worked other jobs, for more than 20 years.
Although none of Furino's family members beside her daughter work at the store, Furino is trying to make the business more of a family affair. "I'm talking them into it," she said.
Saratoga, California Since 1955
