Anyone would agree that good organizational skills are a fundamental qualification for starting your own business. And in 1991, Jennifer Quinn Williams did just that, opening the doors of Saint Louis Closet Co., the first locally–owned closet company that installed custom organizing systems crafted to stand alone (floor-based) and fit the exact dimensions of a customer’s closet.
Saint Louis Closet Company has grown from modest means. In her first semester of graduate school, while working part–time at another closet company, Jennifer loved what she was doing and saw how she might be able to do things differently. Then, in October of 1991, she approached the Small Business Administration (SBA) to learn how to go about starting her own business.
That November, she decided to try her luck at a start-up loan. Jennifer’s tenacity paid off and she received a call from the loan officer that the SBA and the Bank had approved a loan for $35,000. What about the additional $15,000 she needed? Jennifer just forged ahead; trusting that early sales of her new closet systems would bring in the balance of money necessary to stay in operation. They did. So, at the ripe old age of 25, Jennifer had not only graduated from St. Louis University and begun graduate school, but she also had begun to set up and operate her own business. That first year would realize $236,000 in sales, an amount that has been exceeded by over 1800% in 17 years.
Jennifer’s roots are tied to St. Louis having grown up in Kirkwood and graduating from Kirkwood High School in 1984. This hometown entrepreneur then went on to St. Louis University to earn a B.A. in Communications. “I really enjoy running my Business in St. Louis,” says Jennifer. “There’s a great feeling in knowing that you’re helping your community and providing your neighbors with a superior product at the same time. St. Louisans, love to buy from locally-owned companies, not franchises.”
SHOWROOM HOURS:
Maplewood Showroom & Manufacturing Facility
2626 S. Big Bend
St. Louis, MO 63143
Hours:
Monday – Friday 8:00am – 5:00pm
Saturdays 10:00am – 3:00pm
