Meet the J. LaMore Staff. . . !

All of the people who work at J. LaMore and jlamore.com have to have a certain skill set. They have to bring something to the table other then a warm personality and a friendly disposition. Warm and friendly is very important but it's not everything these day. It's not like it used to be and these young women need to know a lot of stuff! So, Jennifer and I have decided this week to introduce all the people who work here and let them open up and answer some questions so that you can get to know them a little. We had a photo shoot with each one in the studio and let them pick their own pictures and answer the questions we gave them without any interference. Except spell check. I can only take so much. - Jim McCarthy


Five minutes with Raquel Burish.

Who are you?

RB - Well to start off with the basics, my name is Raquel Burish and I am going to be a junior at Edgewood High School. I love to spend time with my family and friends. I always joke about how my family is exactly like the family in “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”. My best friend is my mom and I am the most happy around her. I am lucky because I have three very supportive parents that introduce me to many different experiences. I usually spend my summers on the lake with the Mad City Ski Team but I decided I wanted a change this summer so I am not skiing this year. My goal for the future is to pursue an acting career. My mother was an actress and has been coaching me along the way as I write monologues, and perform among audiences.

What do you do at J. LaMore?

RB - I was hired as a project manager intern which basically means I learn how everything works behind the scenes and work on projects as they are given to me. My biggest project I am working on is for the upcoming fashion show. For the show I help with developing the theme, organizing outfits, picking music, and all the chaos backstage! At the store I also help and model for the lookbook and the home page on the website, as well as learn how to keep a current inventory. In Jim’s words I am enrolled in “Marketing 101”.

How did you get that position?

RB - I have been coming into the store alongside my mom since grade school. All I would think about when I was little was, “I can’t wait till I am old enough to wear the clothes at J. LaMore!” Once I got older I started buying my own clothes, but I noticed the age range of the staff. Towards the end of this past school year I stopped in one afternoon and talked to Jennifer about possibly working for her during the summer. After stopping by a couple more times Jennifer and Jim decided to offer me an internship which I was more than thrilled to accept!

What do you want to learn?

RB - Most of my friends in high school work with each other at grocery stores, country clubs, or restaurants. While all of those are great jobs, I wanted a different experience. I want to learn how J. LaMore stays up to date with current trends and styles also how they keep their business successful alongside other competitive boutiques. Marketing is something I knew I would learn and begin to understand at a different type of job. So far I learned so much on what it takes to keep a store noticed and how to go above and beyond your competition.

What life experiences have a profound impact on you?

RB - This August will be the two year mark of when I shattered my femur while water-ski jumping. I broke it in three places and it shattered into 15 pieces in one area. I was in a wheelchair for a month and had to miss the first two months of freshman year. Since the accident I have not been able to be in any competitive sports because of healing and rehab. During that time my love for acting surfaced and showed me a side of myself I did not know I had. After going through the past two years, I believe now that I can get past anything.

Tell us a funny story about yourself.

RB - Well any day I am with my mom there is a story to tell. One of my favorites was on Christmas Eve and as usual we were running 15 minutes late. We had just got into her car to drive over to my aunts for dinner. At the end of our ally there was a large snow bank we had to drive over in order to get onto the road, a few minutes after we slowly drove over the bank we noticed the car had a flat tire. Now my mom was in a very bad mood, we rushed back home to switch into my car, we pulled up to the garage and I ran out of the car to get my keys from inside, as I ran in front of her car I slipped in my new heels on a patch of ice and flew head over heels on the ground. I popped just my head up to see my mom’s reaction as she was still sitting in the car, and sure enough she was dying laughing.