Hidden Gems: Meet Samantha Jones of The Elevated Trend Boutique

Today we’d like to introduce you to Samantha Jones

Hi Samantha, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up in a small, two-stoplight town about 45 miles south of Nashville. As a child and teenager, my wardrobe was mostly hand-me-downs and a few new items from JC Penney catalog shopping trips before school. I loved fashion and dressing up, but I never dreamed of becoming an entrepreneur. My main focus was to work in health care for the stability and reliable income it offered.

After graduating in 2008 from Tennessee State University, I started my career as a Dental Hygienist. For the past 10 years, I’ve explored various side gigs with MLM companies as a creative outlet and for a little extra income. After having my third child, I decided to dive into entrepreneurship and open a boutique. Living in rural Rutherford County, I felt strongly that the women here would appreciate a local source for quality clothing from someone they know and trust.

I knew I didn’t want a brick-and-mortar store right away, but I still craved face-to-face interaction, so I decided to open a pop-up and online boutique. With no experience in this type of business, I immersed myself in learning—studying, researching, and listening to every podcast I could find. I didn’t want to just wing it; I wanted a solid business plan and model in place before I launched. After nine months of preparation, I officially launched The Elevated Trend in August of 2023, ready to hit the ground running.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Not at all! Life is incredibly busy. To set the stage: when I launched the boutique, my youngest was just a year old, and I was still working three days a week as a dental hygienist. My oldest son plays football, basketball, and baseball, and my husband coaches each of those sports. On top of that, my husband is a lineman for the electric company, so when there’s bad weather or emergencies, he often works extra hours. Balancing work, family life, marriage, and my business has been the biggest challenge. Learning to run a successful business has been tough, but I’ve loved the challenge. On the business side, marketing and social media have been the hardest aspects—putting myself out there online has been a very humbling experience.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
The Elevated Trend is a women’s clothing boutique. My customer tends to be the millennial woman who loves the classic staple pieces for her wardrobe but also the on-trend pieces of the season. I really strive to have good quality pieces. The Elevated Trend is a pop- up boutique, meaning I set up my store at festivals, craft fairs or local brick and mortar businesses that like to collaborate. I also offer private parties in your home. These are my favorite and it really is the best girls night. I feel like women my age are so busy and to have a boutique come set up in your home and have your closest girlfriends come over to shop and have fun is the best.

Recently, my husband and I transformed a 200-square-foot space on our property into what I call “The TET Showroom.” This space serves as my office, where I handle everything from unboxing, hanging, tagging, and steaming new items to creating social media content. It’s also set up as a showroom for close customers and friends who want to schedule private shopping appointments.

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I’d describe myself as an ambivert, but I’m pretty open about both myself and my business. I’m deeply committed to my work, but my family always comes first. That’s one of the main reasons I chose not to open a brick-and-mortar store. Running a pop-up boutique allows me to plan events and appearances around my family’s schedule, so I can balance both.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://theelevatedtrend.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theelevatedtrend/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100092174025245