WILLIAMSBURG — Jennifer Watson has the heart of a dancer and knows how hard it is to train, keep up with school, have a social life, and do all the things that a kid should do. After dancing for years, she couldn’t just leave the all-encompassing dance world, so that’s when she reinvented Dancers’ Boutique.
In the late 1980s, the owners of the studio where Watson danced suggested her mother purchase the store from them, offering a good deal.
“I was 14 and Chamber Ballet was over in the Kmart Shopping Center. There was this tiny little store that was attached to the studio. My mom took my sisters for classes there. At the time, the owner’s husband had asked my mom to buy the business. My mom said ‘this might be something good for the girls and since I’m here, why not?'”
The 1990s were challenging for the family dance business with the invention of catalogs, the internet, Y2K problems, and more. The family tried to do everything and anything to earn money to stop breaking even each month.
“There wasn’t a lot of dancers in town at that point in time. Sure, the closest dance shops were farther away, but there just wasn’t a ton of dancers to sell items to. People also really loved the idea of going through catalogs and ordering from the source directly,” Watson said.
In 1999, Watson’s mother gave up on the store and Jennifer took things over. She shut the business down and decided to sell directly through dance studios. Without a storefront, Watson was selling pointe shoes and leotards out of her mother’s living room.
In 2011, she found herself a storefront, and the rest is history. Located on Richmond Road, Dancers’ Boutique offers anything and everything that a dancer needs to be successful. Watson stocks leotards, tights, accessories, bags, shoes, and more at the store, but easily has the ability to order from multiple suppliers should she not have the specific item a customer needs.
Watson, a trained pointe shoe fitter, adores sharing special moments with dancers when they come in for their first pair of pointe shoes.
“It brings me joy in general. It takes me to a happy place of excitement for those kids because I know how exciting it is,” Watson said.
Earning a first pair of pointe shoes is a big step in a dancer’s journey. According to Watson, getting on pointe is a journey of hard work, dedication, and never giving up.
“You work and you work super hard for that moment. It’s a big deal kind of moment. They are so excited about finding their shoe and when they find the right shoe, it’s about how good they dance in it and how good it makes them feel when they are up on stage,” Watson said.
Dancers’ Boutique has had a hand in helping the dancers of tomorrow. Watson enjoys it when dancers come home to Williamsburg to share about their dance careers. Some of the Dancer’s Boutique customers have gone on to earn major dance contracts, cruise line shows, and New York City scholarships — some of the best dance schools in the nation.
“It’s amazing how often that happens. The great thing about dance is that it takes a certain kind of kid to have that drive to move forward and to push themselves. That’s what you need in order to succeed in this art form,” Watson said.
As a woman business owner, Watson knows just how hard it is to balance owning a business and being a mom. She’s almost always at the store stocking merchandise. When it comes to giving advice to others starting out in the business world, she says to invest every cent into it.
“It’s a struggle to be a business owner and you have to just do your best. Spend your money but don’t get your first paycheck and buy yourself something. You need to take that money and reinvest it into the business. But the bottom line is don’t give up and always look at things with a different perspective,” Watson said.
Dancers’ Boutique is open Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, visit dancersboutique.net.
