J. Glenn makes Boca Park introduction with community fundraiser

J. Glenn's owners are not just out to have a successful business but to share that success. The new gift and home décor store at Boca Park plans to donate 25 percent of gross profits from purchases made from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday to After-School All-Stars Las Vegas, which provides comprehensive after-school programs for children in the Las Vegas Valley.

J. Glenn owners Jonathan Nichols and Alan Shaw opened the store at 750 S. Rampart Blvd., Suite 13. The two previously had a gift and home décor store named Seasons in Incline Village, along Lake Tahoe. That store catered to the elite tastes of San Francisco visitors. They've brought the same concept here, and even though they only recently opened, they are already helping out a good cause.

"I want for it to be such a great event for the All-Stars," Nichols said.

"Most of their money is (by) grant," Shaw said. "They don't do much fundraising."

In the Lake Tahoe area, the partners were supporters of a number of organizations and charities, including Big Brothers Big Sisters, Toys for Tots, Pet Network, Project Mana and the Children's Cabinet (renamed Tahoe Family Solutions), where Nichols was on the board.

"I had a good friend who was a 'Big (Sister)' and she went, 'Help me do this charity event,' " Nichols said. "I went, 'Another fundraiser? Do I really have enough time?' Then I went, 'You know, it's a good cause, I should do this.' So we started doing it, and in the first year, we made them, like, double of what they had ever made before."

He said the fact that it was a younger crowd seemed to equate to a higher participation.

"We really worked it, and then the following year, we made them even more," Nichols said. "And this was in the middle of the recession."

The J. Glenn partners moved to Southern Nevada because they could take only so much of winter. They moved to Las Vegas last year and decided to open a similar store here.

"We've been in 12 feet of snow, so we're still thawing out," Nichols said.

Inside J. Glenn is an eclectic mix of specialty items to make one's house a home. High-end home décor and fine gift items include oversized candles, statuettes, holiday decorations, greeting cards and unique books. Shoppers wandered in, enticed by the oversized display up front.

"We happened to drive by," said Jackie Kurtz, who was visiting from the East Coast. "We're looking for sterling jewelry actually. The way it's set up inside is very pretty, and it looks like it has good quality items."

It carries the Papyrus line of greeting cards. J. Glenn also has a veritable who's who of home design names, including Jon McCoy Crystal, L'Objet giftware, Jonathan Adler Design, Annieglass and the Wilhelmina Jacobs Home Collection.

Expect the unexpected at J. Glenn. The reindeer decorations have faux fur collars. A gold piggy bank has wings. Calendars are in book form, and place mats are rolled out much like butcher paper.

The price points mean shoppers can find unique gifts for as low as $20, Nichols said.

"Boca Park seems like the place everybody comes," he said. "When we were looking for (a site), we were mainly concerned with foot traffic, because, in business, it's all about foot traffic and being in a busy shopping center."

It's also about customer loyalty, even if those customers are not Las Vegans.

"We've had our Tahoe fans find us already," Shaw said.

Shaw's software company helped finance the store's opening. One of his software designs is used by Kaiser Permanente, the health insurance company.

"Software is my thing, and this (store) is his thing, but now I'm kind of getting pulled into it," Shaw said.

Meanwhile, the pair are looking forward to helping the After-School All-Stars as much as they can.

"We took (the Big Brothers Big Sisters) event and (brought in) huge amounts," Nichols said of their efforts at Lake Tahoe. "That's what it is. It's about bringing in another eye, someone getting behind it, and really getting behind it."

J. Glenn is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.

For more information, call 702-425-7636 or visit jglennhome.com.

Contact Summerlin/Summerlin South View reporter Jan Hogan at jhogan@viewnews.com or 702-387-2949.