Love for fashion turns into business

Jenna+and+Kimberly+Campfield%2C+Hazel+Boutique+owners+stop+to+pose+for+a+picture.+

Photo Credit: Morgan Franz

Jenna and Kimberly Campfield, Hazel Boutique owners stop to pose for a picture.

by Morgan Franz

She is driven, hard working and has a passion for fashion. As Kimberly Campfield opens the door to her Ramsey Boutique, many teenagers are eager to step inside. The smell of cupcake-scented candles fills the air as many colors appear on the racks.

Kimberly Campfield stands at the back of the store in a graphic T-shirt and a cardigan that she has thrown on.  Her right arm is covered with gold Hazel beaded bracelets, this is her favorite winter look.

From the moment mothers and daughters go inside they are captivated by all the colors and styles Hazel has to offer.  The colored walls with a unique trendy and edgy bohemian design comes to life everyday.

What started as racks of clothes and jewelry on their dining room table in their childhood home  turned a dream into a reality.

Hazel Boutique in Belmar started in May 2014 and has been a widely loved store from everyone who shops there.  Since the first location was so popular, Jenna and her twin sister Kimberly, began to open another store located in Ramsey.  Since the Ramsey location opened, many customers come from afar to shop there; the Hazel Boutique is a success.

Kimberly said, “After getting a job in Human Resources and working in that field for a few years, I decided I would rather work for myself than someone else.”

Kimberly and her sister Jenna never thought that Hazel Boutique would take off like it did, but now they have two locations, one in Belmar and one in Ramsey. Both sisters are hoping to expand to have another location by summer 2018.

When Jenna and Kimberly Campfield were in high school, the sisters started their own clothing and accessory line.  The fashion line was created based upon how the sisters love comfortable clothing while at the same time wanting it to be trendy.

Being that the sisters both grew up an hour south of Bergen County, the working atmosphere was different between the two stores. “The lifestyle is very different from what I am used to and it was definitely something for me to get used to,” Campfield said.

The name Hazel was inspired by a family trait.

Campfield said, “My family members all have Hazel eyes and since it is a family business, we wanted to make the boutique name family related.”

One person in Campfield’s life who affected her decision to be in the Fashion Industry was her grandmother. “My grandmother loved jewelry, especially bracelets, so when we decided to open we wanted to find bracelets that we loved that represented my grandmother,” she said.

Hazel Boutique is different from many other boutiques in the New Jersey area, instead of focusing on competition, both Jenna and Kimberly set out to make sure they bring in items that girls would like while having a passion for the industry.

Photo Credit: Morgan Franz
Clothes are displayed for customers to see.

Juniors in High School Caroline Pappas and Emily Silvestri both have shopped at Hazel and they absolutely love it.

Caroline Pappas said, “For me, I like their clothes the best, although they are on the pricey side, I think their clothes are very cute and fashion forward.  They have a lot of unique clothes that I’ve never seen at any other store.”

“I like how it’s organized into colors like how the greens are in one area, whites in another because it makes it easier to look.” Emily Silvestri says.

Kimberly loves when she wakes up in the morning to go to work. It does not feel like a typical job.  She has great employees and she gets to have fun and shop as her job.

Employees  who work at Hazel are Dacey Trotta and Nicki DeFranco. Dacey Trotta said the two things she loves doing are “meeting new customers and changing the store around.”  

Both Dacey and Nicki enjoy learning a lot about merchandising and apparel from Kimberly and Jenna. “We’re like a family here,” Dacey said. “We are always laughing and having a good time.”

Kimberly loves seeing new faces in her store and likes to help pick out pieces that every girl would love.

For anyone wanting to create their own brand or start a boutique like Kimberly and Jenna,  Kimberly’s advice is “never give up, there are always going to be bad days and working for yourself can be hard but it’s the most rewarding experience.”

Kimberly Campfield would also like to add “as a young girl in high school, follow your heart and never let someone else sway your opinion or interests.”  “If you feel strongly about something, be proud of your interests and work hard to make your dreams happen.”