Shae Jones, Founder of Oliva J
CDFI Loan Helps Woman-Owned Apparel Business Fulfill Contract with Major Retailer
Client: Shae Jones, owner of Olivia J
Client Location: Gilbert, AZ
CDFI: Growth Partners Arizona
CDFI Service Area: AZ
Financing and technical assistance, with support from the Finance Justice Fund
When Shae Jones couldn’t find socks or tights that fit her newborn daughter, she took matters into her own hands and launched Olivia J in 2019. After growing her Arizona-based children’s clothing business and eventually landing a contract with Nordstrom, she needed working capital and gap funding to purchase inventory for the upcoming season.
Shae Jones, founder of Olivia J
Following a referral from a major bank, Shae connected with Growth Partners Arizona (GPAz), a CDFI based in Tucson. Because of the smaller size of the loan she needed, traditional lenders were not interested in providing the funding. GPAz worked closely with Shae to ensure she did not fall victim to predatory lending and to identify a responsible amount of funding that would position her for long-term success.
“I love that Growth Partners is an organization that focuses on helping the local business community. There is so much beauty in those that want to help others around them, especially when it’s done locally. I personally believe that getting to know other businesses in Arizona and gathering with them has helped me so much when building Olivia J into what it is today. Working with Growth Partners has helped to also expand our community of networking, which I think will be great in the long run,” says Shae.
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