The Uncommon James headquarters has since moved to Berry Hill and the former office attached to their Gulch store is now overflowing with product storage. I’m going to put all the warts out there as well,” Cavallari said. If I’m going to do the reality show, I’m going to do it. I’ve actually had other business owners come to me and say, ‘Thank you for showing what we really deal with.’ So many people try to glamorize it. “That just killed me, but we showed it because it’s real. She said she initially hired some of the wrong people the company quickly outgrew its Gulch headquarters and, as depicted on the show, mix-ups in the shipping department resulted in customers getting empty boxes in the mail. That dramatic growth comes with its challenges, though, and Cavallari doesn’t back down from talking about those. We had eight episodes the first season, and we were sold out of pretty much everything the entire season,” she said. We sold out of everything, and jewelry has like a six- to eight-week turnaround time. “The first episode aired and just instantly it changed.
UNCOMMON JAMES SERIES
The couple listed their home in Nashville's Forest Hills neighborhood for sale last year.Ĭavallari said Uncommon James sales exploded right after the series premiered last year. A portion of the show, which was picked up for a third season, depicts Cavallari and Cutler’s home life at their sprawling Leiper’s Fork farm. Customers can shop the Uncommon James jewelry collections alongside Cavallari-designed home goods and her children’s clothing line, Little James.Ī pivotal part of the Uncommon James success story has been E!’s reality series “Very Cavallari,” which features Cavallari’s personal life, her growing business empire and several Uncommon James employees.
The light-filled shop is in a new building at 601 Ninth Ave. The shop, which is packed on the weekends and was even crowded on a recent Monday morning, was abuzz with 20-somethings, young moms and other women who were dazzled by Cavallari’s presence in the store after having followed her career for 15 years since “Laguna Beach” aired. “I think fashion should be affordable for everybody.”Ī visit to the Uncommon James store in the Gulch proves the brand is resonating with women. “I just don’t think you have to spend a lot of money in order to have great style or to look and feel great, and that’s just as simple as it is,” Cavallari said. The pieces cost under $100 and are made of delicate metals and gemstones. I wasn’t like, ‘I’m going to take over the world.’ It was fun for me.”Ĭavallari designed Uncommon James to be simple, feminine with edge, and classic yet trendy. “I wanted something to do where I could first and foremost still be a mom, and it was something I also loved and was passionate about. “I didn’t really think about my five- or 10-year plan with Uncommon James,” said Cavallari, who is the face of all the brand’s marketing campaigns and serves as designer, creative director and CEO. The business was born out of her and Cutler’s Chicago home right before they moved to Nashville.
'Fashion should be affordable for everybody'Ī self-described Type A personality, Cavallari launched her jewelry line Uncommon James in 2017 so she could be her own boss and help women inexpensively accessorize their outfits. She’s a television personality (“Laguna Beach," “The Hills," “Dancing with the Stars," E! correspondent, “Very Cavallari," “Paradise Hotel”), fashion designer and New York Times bestselling author of healthy cookbook “True Roots” and “Balancing in Heels: My Journey to Health, Happiness, and Making it all Work.” Add mother of three and wife of former Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler, and you might start to wonder how Cavallari makes it all work. Now is where the real work starts.”Ĭavallari is no stranger to hustle. There is no other option for me than getting (the business) where I want it to be. “I’m doing it, and I’m so driven and so motivated. I’m in it this is a business,” said Cavallari, stylishly dressed in white jeans, a pale pink tank top and heels during an interview at a Franklin coffee shop. And in true Cavallari form, she’s stepping into her new role with confidence, ambition and the same won’t-back-down attitude that first catapulted her into the spotlight as a 17-year-old on MTV’s hit reality series “Laguna Beach.” She’s gone from a mostly stay-at-home mom to her three young children to a full-blown business mogul. In the two years since she moved to Nashville, her fledgling jewelry business Uncommon James has grown into a 90-employee company raking in $20 million in revenue, with another brick-and-mortar store in the works. View Gallery: Kristin Cavallari's Uncommon James in Nashville