Passion for fashion

JJ's Fashions is keeping up with the times—with its newly opened store in Castlegar and an identity on Facebook too

Dave Streloff has transformed a piece of family heritage into a home for his business. — Colin Payne photo

With the opening of his new JJ's Fashions building in Castlegar, owner Dave Streloff is planting his store’s roots on the ground from whence his family sprung.

The new building, located just south of Canadian Tire on Columbia Avenue (Highway 22), was built over the past six months on land that has been in Streloff’s family for generations, on the site of his grandmother’s former farmhouse.

“It’s my mark on the community,” Streloff said. “I felt we put a ton of extra effort into planning, design and all that because of the significance of the site and the fact that our business has been here for 30 years. We definitely wanted it to be forever.”

JJ's Fashions was started by Streloff’s parents, Joe and Ruby, when they bought a menswear store in Castlegar in 1973. It has evolved over the years into denim and then womenswear to its present-day clothing line of lifestyle sportswear.

The Streloffs opened a second store in Trail’s Waneta Plaza in 1984, which moved to Cedar Avenue in 1989 when they bought a building. And the Castlegar location, which started out in the downtown on the corner of Columbia and 4th Street, moved to the Crossroads Mall at 1983 Columbia Avenue in 1999.

Through its evolution, JJ's Fashions has emerged as one of the West Kootenay’s top clothing retailers. Streloff said having the two locations in Trail and Castlegar allows his company to carry deeper inventory levels—making it more likely that customers will be able to walk into the store and get what they need right off the shelf.

“Due to our size and tight relationship with our customers, we have the ability to react quickly to new trends and customer requests,” he said.

Putting forth a youthful face

JJ's Fashions has also moved into the new world of business, incorporating social media like Facebook and blogging into its marketing strategy.

Streloff has been involved in his family’s business since it started and has seen its evolution happen first-hand. While he still carries some suits and sport coats, he said the bulk of his business these days comes from youth, and that’s part of the allure for him in the clothing retail business.

“I love everything about it,” said Streloff. “I love the business part, the fashion part. I love the age group, the kids. I think it keeps you young.”

He added that he’s happy to be surrounded by passionate and committed employees, at least one of whom has been working in his business longer than Streloff himself.

Streloff said he was extremely excited to move into his new building, an occasion celebrated on June 21, 2011, with a VIP sale for Facebook followers only; there were give-aways and a draw for a $2,000 shopping spree.

The bright, new two-storey building built by BPR Construction and designed by Meikeljohn Architects Inc. offers the same amount of sales floor space as his previous Castlegar location as well as separate office and storage space. In addition, there is a lunch room and 600 square feet of rental space on the main floor, with office space for rent in the upstairs.

Check out JJ's Fashions on Facebook.