style maven
Story by Susan O'Connor, Photo by Dero Sanford

Jennifer Cude has her finger on the pulse of what is hottest in fashion. Her ability to spot great looking, sellable trends is part innate style and part experience. The success of her boutique, Steamroller Blues, is testimony to that.

“It had always been a dream of mine to own my own clothing boutique,” Cude said. “When the opportunity presented itself to buy an established business that I had helped manage, my husband and I jumped on it.”

A graduate of Jonesboro High School and Arkansas State University with a bachelor’s degree in marketing, Jennifer began working at Steamroller Blues in high school for then owner Gayla Demaine. It was her first job, and she loved it immediately.

“Throughout my college career I continued to work at the store, where Gayla pretty much showed me the ropes in retail. I began going to market with her after a couple of years, and from there on out I would get to attend it with her. I absolutely loved the other side of retail, along with working the floor. After several years I began talking with Gayla about my hopes and dreams that some day I could buy the store from her and her husband.”

Jennifer and her husband, Travis, married in 2003. He was supportive of her dream to own and operate her own business from the beginning, she said. The couple bought Steamroller Blues in the summer of 2007.

“He knew how much I loved it and we immediately started to plan a way that we could make it happen,” she said with her trademark enthusiasm. “Obviously it didn’t happen overnight. This was going to be a big step for us and from there many things followed, such as our child!”

Their daughter, Camryn, is two-and-a-half.

What do you think makes Steamroller Blues unique in Jonesboro? Well, I truly feel like there are a lot of things that make our operation unique. For one, our store prides itself on carrying exclusive lines that other boutiques cannot carry within a certain radius. Also, our customer service stands out from the rest. We love to help people put together the entire outfit from head to toe. We really try to stress to the employees to give genuine opinions and be honest with the customer because in the long run it will benefit everyone. There is nothing better than seeing a customer leave excited about what they have purchased and especially if it is for a special event.

You obviously have a great sense of style. Who are your style icons? There really is not just anyone in particular that I can say is my style icon. I am a true believer, however, that just because it is a trend and everyone is wearing it, does not necessarily mean that it is a great look on you. I think that you have to pick out appropriate clothing that flatters your figure and the occasion. However, I love to look at magazines such as In Style and Lucky to get ideas of what is happening mainstream. Over the years, celebrities have had a huge influence on the fashion industry. In fact, a lot of the lines that I pick up are celebrity influenced and I love to show framed pictures of their clothing in the store. I have some lines in the store right now that are getting lots of publicity from the stars, and the prices are really not just over the top.

What is most exciting about attending market? I always look forward to attending market. I try to go at least four times a year to various places, such as Dallas, Los Angeles and Las Vegas. It is very exciting to see upcoming trends and styles that will be going forward for the next season. However, it is extremely overwhelming at times to try and put my buy together. I have my own little system that helps me budget my inventory control, so I know exactly what is expected to come in every month and how much I have spent. For obvious reasons, I have more inventory coming in some months than others to prepare for the upcoming seasons.

How do you decide what will sell in Northeast Arkansas?
After working here at the store for 12 years, I will have to say I have learned a lot about my buying. I sometimes make mistakes, occasionally jumping on a trend too early, and sometimes I nail it! I usually try and look at my buy and think, “Who is going to buy this?” I love to try and pick out some trends that are stylish, but that are an easy sell. I have learned that just because I love it, doesn’t necessarily mean everyone else will. I think that people like to come into our store because of our unique clothing, and it truly is something they cannot find anywhere else in the area. That is what makes all of this so fun. It is a constant hunt for new things!

If you could venture into any other career, what would it be and why? As silly as this may sound, there is truly not any other job in the world that I would rather be doing. I absolutely love every aspect of retail except the stress and the occasional sleepless nights that come and go. I think that is part of owning your own business. If you didn’t worry all the time, you might find yourself in trouble. But if I could change something about the business it would be to be able to spend more time with my adorable daughter, Camryn. I could absolutely eat her up and I literally cannot get enough of her.

What trends can we look forward to this fall? You know, just about anything goes today depending on how you put the outfit together. It depends on if you want to be on the cutting edge of fashion, or simply just look put together. For fall, pretty much every denim line is showing skinny jeans, which they are pairing with boots, booties and caged heels. This can be a harder trend to follow, however. I would suggest longer tops and sweaters or jackets to go with this look, which really can give a very sleek appeal. There will be lots of dresses and skirts, also paired with boots or caged heels. I’ve also noticed a lot of leather. Leggings will be moving forward, strongly paired with lines such as Lauren Moshi, which is getting lots of celebrity attention.