155 WEST CALIFORNIA STREET

“Where Style Meets Elegance” isn’t just a slogan at Jacksonville Company, it’s a policy that’s evident when customers step in the door. From handbags to jewelry to women’s clothing, owner Lorraine Akin keeps a keen eye open for both the latest styles and classic designs.

“I call it ‘high-end casual,’” Akin says as she gestures at the displays in her store at 155 West California Street. Recognizing that the fashion world drives trends, she attempts to stay a step ahead of designs that “start in New York and move across the country toward us.”

The strategy has proven effective, as shown by her early contact with Brighton, the upscale company that began with belts, then expanded into handbags and accessories. “A rep came into the store and showed me their products,” Akin recalls. “Brighton was just beginning to become a big deal, long before they opened stores of their own, and he said that the line was going to explode.” Akin felt that the designs matched her taste, so she invested in a few pieces. Today it is her most popular brand. “I love Brighton,” she says with a smile.

Akin opened Jacksonville Company on October 1, 1998. “There had been a shoe store at the location,” she says, “run by a friend of mine. She called it ‘Jacksonville Shoe Company,’ but when I bought the store, I didn’t want to sell just shoes, so I dropped the middle word.” As she expanded her product line, she added women’s fashions from designers like Three Dots, a Southern California-based company that prides itself on “being made in the USA.” From tees and tanks, to cardigans, jackets and sweaters, customers will find a delightful variety on the store’s racks. Along the way she added another handbag and wallet brand to the store’s inventory: Hobo, which fits in perfectly with the Brighton pieces on display.

Which is not to say that Akin eliminated shoes altogether. She carries numerous styles of footwear, from ankle boots to dressy heels to slippers, including a variety created by Vionic, a company dedicated to preserving the wearer’s feet while wrapping them in elegance.

“I enjoy the fact that women will come into the store and pick out items, make a note about it and send their husbands in later to see the note,” Akin says. “Because men often don’t know the sizes or even preferences of the women in their lives. This works out for everybody.”

With an extensive line of costume jewelry (also by Brighton), shoes, dresses and handbags, Jacksonville Company carries something for every woman’s—and every gift giver’s—needs.