Profiles In Business Excellence: Jane Leslie & Co  

     Something extraordinary occurs when a gifted artist opens a luxury gift store. Instead of just selling merchandise, every item is thoughtfully selected or fashioned as an object d'art in its own right.
     When Janie Alperin opened Jane Leslie a year ago, she drew on her experiences as a buyer, linen designer, manufacturer, and a museum curator with a double major in art to create a shop of unparalleled elegance.
     "Creativity comes in a lot of packages," said Janie of her venture. "I'm in that stage of life where I'm ready to try something new."
     Janie designed and manufactured linensfor Neiman Marcus as well as apparel design until she grew "really piqued in the apparel business."
     "It was becoming passe," she said.
     Retaining her incorporated name of Jane Leslie, she opened a boutique in Kingston and filled it with exclusive lines like Bond No. 9 New York perfume, John Derian art, Juliska hand-blown glass, and Mustard Seed and Moonshine dishes from Capetown, South Africa.
Janie frequents art shows and fairs on the lookout for unique finds.
     "When I buy I like to chase the artist," Janie said. "This is art for the home. It's for your lifestyle. I offer lines you'd find in New York, but make it within reach to create a dramatic or romantic home. I look for items that make you feel redeemed... better about yourself."
     Janie's philosophy of beautifying the home with art is met with appreciation by her customers. One gentleman stopped to inquire about the upcoming arrival of pottery, and a woman announced as she walked in, "I've come to see what I can't live without!"
     Janie wants Jane Leslie to be a place to buy special one-of-a-kind gifts and ensures this by offering her own creations- pieces of antique furniture that have been fabulously custom painted with techniques like combing and sponging.
     "It's a perfect place to come for any sort of wedding gift, and we carry a bridal registry," said Store Manager Brittany Kramer, one off our college students employed at Jane Leslie.
     Janie is active on the boards of both Lehigh University and the University of Scranton. For the latter's business school, she recently created a financial center that is a rendition of a stock market floor. She also donates items for Wyoming Seminary's auction to benefit the school and gift certificates to WVIA.