by Bailey White
Staff Writer
Jonathan Brown was bitten early by the “retail bug.”
His mother — Ortega resident Bonnie Haswell — was one of the original partners involved in The Mole Hole, a gift shop that opened on May Street in Five Points in the 1970s.
“I remember going on buying trips with her when I was 13,” he said. “I think that’s when I got the fever for retail.”
Today, Brown is preparing to open One of Each Gifts, which he describes as a casual, funky gift and homeware store, at 1506 King St., between the popular Whiteway Delicatessen and Bloomers lingerie shop.
“I’m very excited about the area,” he said. “It’s definitely on the rise and with the City’s planned renovations, it seems like the whole block will be revitalized. Plus, it’s close to home.”
The store will carry glassware, home accents and plenty of seasonal home decor.
“We’ll have funky martini glasses, colored wine goblets, wire candle holders, a lot of interesting home accents,” said Brown. “It will be a youth-oriented store, similar to a Crate & Barrel. The merchandise will be very affordable, but very well-designed and high quality.”
And expect eye-catching window displays.
“I’m installing a shelf unit and I plan to keep the window fresh and exciting,” he said. “We’ll keep regular retail hours, but I plan to leave the lights on late, because I like the idea of people walking by at night being able to window shop.”
The name of the shop comes from some of Brown’s earlier days in retail.
“Ladies would come in [to my shop] and say to me, ‘When my husband comes back to get me something, tell him I want one of each,’” said Brown. “The phrase just stuck with me.”
Over the past couple of decades, Brown has left his mark on Jacksonville’s retail and restaurant scene.
He was the founder and original owner of Judson’s Restaurant, the lunchtime institution on Barrs Street in Riverside that he opened in 1983. He also opened the Five Points Cafe on Park Street, The Straw Market, a shop at the Landing, and Under the Sun, a gift store in Jacksonville Beach.
For Brown, the timing seemed right to get back into the retail scene.
“I get excited when I sense an opportunity,” he said. “The idea has been in the back of my mind for a while now and I’d think about it when I drove by the location.”
The recently renovated space appealed to Brown’s sensibilities and seems to capture the history of the area.
“It has the octagonally shaped floor tiles, similar to the ones from the 1920s, and antique-looking, library-style light fixtures on the ceilings,” he said.
It also has high ceilings with tin paneling and exposed brick walls.
There is still some work to be done and Brown said he plans to have One of Each Gifts open by Sept. 1. Before that he’ll make a trip to the Atlanta buying markets, an aspect of the retail business that remains particularly exciting to him.
“Atlanta is the world’s largest wholesale market,” he said. “There are 18 floors of permanent showroom space and 2,000 temporary exhibits set up. It’s a giant bazaar and it’s a great way to get ideas. It’s hard work, but so much fun.”