Betty Lou Jean Company

Published 5:00 pm Sunday, August 31, 2008

Step into the urbane and stylish Betty Lou Jean Company in Astoria, and you’d swear you’d been transported to a trendy boutique in Portland’s Pearl District.

That’s kind of what owner Lani Donovik Gouge had in mind when she envisioned the business, located in the renovated Occident Building on Marine Drive downtown, a block from the riverfront.

“I guess you could call it urban apparel city wear for men and women,” Gouge said, looking around at her initial inventory, which on opening day in August was primarily chic jeans made of high-end denim, with a smattering of shirts and jewelry.

Gouge hails from Port Angeles, Wash., and has lived in Astoria for the past 10 years. She said she opened a clothing store after looking around at what she thought the community needed, and decided the realm of apparel offered room for expansion.

“Whenever I needed a new outfit I had to go to Portland,” she said.

“I knew I wanted to own a jean company,” she said, explaining that she’d considered several different business concepts before settling on the denim idea. “People are wearing jeans to work more these days.”

But dress jeans are just the beginning of what Gouge will offer customers. She’ll be adding to the store’s inventory as the summer season winds down, and shoppers can look forward to more dressy clothing, like trousers, jackets and more shirts.

She thinks customers are tired of shopping at formulaic stores like the Gap and Abercrombie and Fitch.

“People are asking for something unique,” she said. “Little specialized niches.”

Betty Lou Jean Company’s refurbished digs fit the bill – the space has been transformed from its former industrial ambiance into elegant retail space.

The old building used to house Astoria Janitor and Paper Supply, which had occupied the building for decades. That business moved to a building at the Port of Astoria last year that is owned by Jeff Canessa and Jason Palmberg also Gouge’s new landlords.

Contractors stripped away the false floor in her store, and found the original wood planks, now restored. Gouge had counters, dressing rooms and a “jean library” built, which she finished herself. Custom light fixtures from the Schoolhouse Electric Company in Portland complete the picture.

The result is a shop that has the rich, contemplative look of an art gallery. The unusual jean library is a varnished floor-to-ceiling bookcase-like cabinet filled with merchandise. Gouge has a rolling staircase on order that will allow access to all levels of the display.

The shop’s name is a tribute to her paternal grandmother, Betty Lou Donovik, and the store is peppered with black and white family photographs of the original Betty Lou and other relatives.

“I wanted old time appeal,” Gouge said of her vision for the store’s décor. The shop’s decorations are a tribute to her family, from whom she inherited her entrepreneurial spirit.

“I’ve been involved in small business my whole life,” she said, referring to businesses owned by both her parents.

While the thought of taking a chance on a small business in a difficult economy was daunting, she said the timing for her to open the store was right. “I had to stop talking about it and do it.”

The Betty Lou Jean Company will be open seven days a week through the end of the summer. When the Astoria Sunday Market closes, Gouge will close on Sundays for the winter.

Hours: Summer – Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday noon to 3p.m.