One of my all time favourite stores in the city is Hey Sailor, open since 2015 and owned by two fabulous bombshells, Jesica and Jenny!
They’re not a big store and they aren’t popping at the seams with rows upon rows of merchandise. What they are is a small location (on the corner of Park and South Cumberland) with quality items, appealing to women (and men) who love the retro, rockabilly, and swinger look.
They usually carry a selection of dresses, skirts, and shirts, and frequently carry swimsuits and crinolines, as well as a bit of jewelry and handbags from local artisans.
Bottom line: it’s just a fabulous little shop; it’s something that Thunder Bay needed! Jesica and Jenny made it happen.
Jesica:
Prior to opening the store in 2015, Jes was working as a server at a restaurant in order to make extra money for renovations.
Waiting on customers and providing good customer service is something Jesica is really good at, but it was only temporary as she worked towards the dream of owning a store full of her favourite kinds of clothes. Her skills are being put to better use here at Hey Sailor as she continues to provide impeccable customer service.
Jessica and her husband are in the middle of renovating their country home right now, so the whole family is living in the midst of saw dust and drywall.
A store to run and home renovations keep her pretty busy, but Jesica is also a mom of three (her daughter, number 23, made an appearance earlier). She loves her children and can frequently be heard bemoaning the fact that they have to grow up: “STOP GROWING!”
Jesica uses what little spare time she has left to help run the comedy/burlesque group, Les Coquettes Rouges. She likes (classily) taking off her clothes almost as much as she enjoys playing dress up in her store!
I’m not gonna lie, It’s a winning combination.
Jenny:
This is how she poses and, frankly, it’s adorable. Jenny is the other half of the Hey Sailor ownership team and this is how she greets me when I enter the store.
Actually, this is how she greets me wherever she sees me, like Value Village a few days ago!
Jenny works in finances during the day and spends many evenings at Hey Sailor, helping people find the perfect dress.
Much like her business partner, Jenny knows what looks good on people and she loves helping them feel beautiful. She is really good at her job!
She is also an occasional performer with Les Coquettes Rouges when she has the time and loves ten pin bowling every week with a special group of ladies. She’s not a terrific bowler, as she informed me, but she does ok. She’s been known to knock down aaaaalll the pins! Plus, she has amazing black and pink bowling shoes. If that doesn’t say professional, I don’t know what does!
Despite how wonderful Jenny is, I do have to keep an eye on her if I happen to be in the store with my youngest son. He is, alas, a little ginger and Jenny is pretty much obsessed with red-heads. Her boyfriend is a red-head and I’ve never been able to tell if she’s with him solely for his carrot-top. He seems like a good guy though, so she proooooobably loves him.
And there you have it, the fabulous females behind the frocks.
Like I said, bombshells, the both of them!
Absolutely love the Bianca Del Rio print on the wall! And i really need to get to Hey Sailor soon because i habe heard amazing things about it. I remember Jenny from high school (and she was also part of close friends of ours’ big family that we spent lots of time with when we lived in the country ) and she has always had such a big, awesome personality. Looking forward to meeting the other half of this dynamic duo soon.
Tracy Paints did that painting!!
You must go to that store!