ASTORIA The Betty Lou Jean Co. has tightened its belt, closed its doors and jumped onto the World Wide Web.

After struggling for several years under the burden of debt from building out her first location not to mention a tough retail economy and the traditional overhead of a brick-and-mortar store Lani Donovick closed her downtown jeans boutique last November.

She moved the business to the basement of her home and now has launched an online store in an effort to reach a larger market.

Ive been struggling in this economy for four years now, Donovick said. It was hard to decide when to make the cut-off and liquidate.

Last fall, she decided that time had come. Donovick hired a local web designer to build an e-store into her website and to train her on how to manage it herself.

I feel like this part of the business is something I never saw myself doing, but Im just kind of rolling with the punches, she said.

Donovick opened Betty Lou Jeans in May 2008 in the Marine Drive storefront currently occupied by Bergerson Tile & Stone. The build-out cost her $80,000.

She was willing to make that kind of investment because for me, living down here 15 years, Astoria was soaring from where Id seen it.

With the town on its way up, I built a 16-foot jean library with a rolling ladder, she said. The space was so huge.

But, As far as a new business, I bit off more than I could chew.

The stores spacious square-footage and double-high ceilings left Donovick with monthly $500 heating bills for November through January.

So she sacrificed her investment in the space and moved to a smaller, less expensive storefront at 14th and Commercial streets.

Looking back at the past few years, Donovick said she felt she had built a good business with a loyal following. But she had sunk too much into her original space and struggled to keep a positive cash flow during the slow months.

The only options were to pull out a $40,000 loan and go forward, or pull back, go online and cut my expenses, she said. It was smarter to cut back and hone in on the business skills and try to recoup.

Donovick moved her inventory to the basement of her house and has been populating her e-store with merchandise. She plans to hold a big discount sale in February so she can get some new styles in stock.

She continues to offer fittings to local customers and can tailor inseams to fit.

Donovick is using online ads to reach denim heads, people who really love jeans. Theres a big demographic out there we were never able to reach before, she said.

Donovick said she just recently shipped her first cross-country order, to Brooklyn, N.Y.

She hopes to remain a resource for local shoppers, too. Them shopping with me is shopping local, still, she said. Its just shopping online.

For more information, go to bettyloujeanco.com or call 503-325-1994.