Hear from Fellow Female Entrepreneurs—J. LOWERY

Next up in our series featuring previous Sela Vie clients making waves across industries as female entrepreneurs are Jamey Gresham and Margaret Boyce of
J. LOWERY.

Effortless + Distinct + Confident

Jamey and Margaret are lifelong best friends who have walked every step together—truly, they were even born in the same city just two days apart. They officially became family when Jamey married Margaret’s first cousin in 2017.

Their path to handbag and accessory design was unconventional. With backgrounds primarily rooted in digital marketing, they fancy themselves industry outsiders with a fresh take. Having always been passionate about personal style, they co-founded J. LOWERY when they discovered the current market unable to supply their ideal contemporary handbag—one of high quality and timelessness with a bit of an edge.

Flash forward—they’re achieving that look and making it approachable to their peers. They create pieces that make the modern woman feel comfortable yet distinct.

Hear below from Jamey and Margaret about how they built a thriving name brand company from the ground up:

How did the idea for J. LOWERY originate?

It was truly out of a need we saw in the regional market. We came together with a desire to combine our skills and passions to build a brand together in the South. It wasn’t until we searched deeper into each area within our region individually that we realized there really was not a contemporary handbag line that fell in between luxury and fast fashion. We set out to create a line that was timeless enough to outlive trends but also has that little bit of edge we all look for to distinctly represent our personal styles.

What’s it like having a business partner that’s also your friend? Is that a good move for everyone?

For us, it’s perfect and, of course, we don’t know it any other way. We don’t think a single day goes by that we each don’t say we can’t imagine doing this without one another. We balance each other out. We celebrate and uplift one another's strengths and support one another’s weaknesses. Anyone who is in a partnership would tell you that having a business partner is like entering a marriage with that person. Just as you do with your spouse, you have to constantly nurture and work on strengthening that relationship. There is no doubt that doing so makes all the victories so much sweeter because you get to share them with someone you respect and love so much!

When was the first ‘growth spurt’ for J. LOWERY, and what do you think was the trigger?

2020 was a big year of growth for us. It was our first full year of business and, although it was a challenging one in more ways than we ever would have anticipated, it ended up being more successful than we could have imagined. We were lucky enough to be featured in Southern Living alongside so many inspiring southern tastemakers who became such an impactful community of women for us too!

How did you increase your reach (what marketing methods have worked, and which have not)?

Thoughtful and intentional are words we’ve use internally since the very beginning to describe almost all marketing decisions. It always comes back to this for us. When we reach out to people we admire for their personal styles or content creation we always want to ensure they receive a bag to see it and love it for themselves before anything else. No strings attached from the beginning. We truly want to build relationships through our brand and we want to connect with them. This has always helped us to encourage the most effective and positive content about the bags in a time where it can feel everything is transactional and automated.

What are your goals for 2023 and beyond?

J. LOWERY is in a very exciting, fast growth phase right now and we are fully embracing the energy! 2023 will hold more collaborations (a process we have grown to love and cherish so much), an exciting model we have been testing that features more frequent product drops with new styles coming, and hopefully wide-spread growth in our wholesale and retail relationships. We want J. LOWERY to be in front of as many new eyes as possible!