In 2015, Jennifer Johns started a boutique clothing business known as “Simply JJ,” traveling all over Central Illinois to introduce shoppers to the LuLaRoe brand.
“It just kind of took on a life of its own,” she said. “So I went from doing what we called pop-up parties for the first couple of years to, in about 2018, pretty much strictly did it in my home and online.”
Then, in September 2023, the business opened a storefront at 200 W. Washington St. in Monticello where it now offers gifts, accessories and home decor in addition to clothing.
Simply JJ will celebrate its 10th anniversary with an open house from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, which is 10 years to the day of Johns’ initial launch party in her living room.
The event will include giveaways, in-store specials, refreshments and a treat for longtime customers — those who bring in a piece of LuLaRoe clothing previously purchased from the shop in its early days will receive a free gift.
“I thought it would be fun to just see some of the original pieces that people have held onto,” Johns said, adding that she’s not asking customers to part with these items.
She said it feels “pretty darned amazing” to hit this milestone.
“The name of the game is learning to pivot,” she said. “… I feel like the way people shop has changed a lot in the last 10 years.”
About half of her sales were taking place in person when the pandemic hit. Johns then switched to using Facebook Live to hold sales.
“The byproduct of that is that I’ve really been able to build connections with people all over the country,” she said. “And it sounds so strange, I know, but a lot of them will tell me they (tune) into the live show rather than television when we’re on, which I think is pretty neat. And I just feel like we’ve been able to connect with people in that realm that we never would have otherwise.”
The opening of Simply JJ’s Monticello storefront hasn’t quenched its online sales. Johns said the people who were already buying clothes online now buy everything else sold by the store.
This caused her to bring her son onboard in fall 2024 to manage the store, along with shipping and logistics.
Beef ‘O’ Brady’s aims for mid-August opening
The new Beef ‘O’ Brady’s at 730 W. Town Center Blvd. in Champaign is expected to open Aug. 18, said franchisee David Verkler.
“The response has been crazy,” he said.
Before the big day, however, there are still a few items on the restaurant’s to-do-list, including corporate training.
General manager Jeremy Bustamante said the business has hired about 60 people so far — after interviewing, by his estimate, just over 300 applicants in the span of a couple weeks.
“We turned off couple categories because we were overwhelmed,” Verkler said.
He told The News-Gazette that the restaurant has received its health department permit, and city records show that a local liquor license has been issued.
As of Wednesday, the business was not yet listed on the state’s online liquor license lookup.
Verkler and his wife, Maria, also own another Beef ‘O’ Brady’s in Bourbonnais, which opened in 2006.
Maria described the restaurant as offering “a little something for everyone.”
“A party of 10, everybody can find something on there to eat,” Bustamante agreed. “You don’t have to just come in and grab a burger — but they are delicious.”
Champaign facility is now the first downstate “DMV+”
State and local officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Champaign DMV on Monday to celebrate new services and changes that are expected to reduce wait times at the facility at 2012 Round Barn Road.
“The DMV+ utilizes a One-Stop-Shop design that involves cross-training employees to accommodate customers seeking all DMV tasks, including driver services — such as license and ID renewals, REAL IDs and driving tests — and vehicle services, including registration renewals, sticker and plate purchases and title work,” state officials said, adding that customers will be able to access services at a single station and go through fewer steps for a “more intuitive flow.”
State officials said the facility’s 23 One-Stop-Shop service counters will be staffed by 32 cross-trained employees, including three bilingual workers who speak Spanish.
Additionally, the site now offers additional Secretary of State services not found at traditional DMVs, including those in the business, administrative hearings, index and personnel departments.
State officials said the facility was chosen to become a DMV+ through a “data-driven approach” that sought to reduce the number of out-of-town trips required for approximately 7,000 registered business agents in Champaign and 1,500 in Urbana.
“The new Champaign DMV+ embodies the progress that we’ve made over the past two years and benefits from synergies generated by all of our modernization initiatives working in concert,” said Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias. “This state-of-the-art facility will dramatically reduce the ‘Time Tax’ residents and businesses pay while eliminating unnecessary trips to our offices in Springfield and Chicago.”
The Champaign site is now an appointment-only DMV, officials said.
