All That JAS boutique celebrates 10 years in Elon

In November 2003, Michaelle Graybeal decided to pursue her passion for creation by opening All That JAS, a boutique store offering unique apparel and customized merchandise to fit individual styles.

Ten years and 70,000 customized shirts later, Graybeal said All That JAS has developed into a highly successful store. To celebrate its 10th anniversary, the store will be hosting an open house with refreshments, a raffle and a 10 percent discount Nov. 9 from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Looking back on the past decade, Graybeal said one of the store’s biggest changes has been moving to and from multiple locations.

“We originally started in an old building in downtown Burlington,” she said. “As more students from Elon [University] began visiting our store, we realized we had to be closer to them.”

Two and a half years later, All That JAS moved into a house behind the Town of Elon’s U.S. Post Office, only to find out another two and a half years later the space was going to be sold.

“After desperately looking around, we were fortunate enough to find our current location on North Williamson Avenue,” Graybeal said.

Aside from the choice of location, Elon students have an even greater connection with the store. According to Graybeal, it was an Elon student who influenced her decision to open the boutique.

“[Elon alumna] Shannon Kilgariff was working with me in my cheerleading business and expressed how difficult it was to buy customized Greek merchandise,” Graybeal said. “It all began growing from there. We started learning how to make letter shirts, and it quickly became a labor of love.”

The original company was titled “Jump And Shout,” which later was shortened to “JAS.” But as the store shifted from selling cheerleading items to customized apparel and Greek merchandise, they decided to keep “JAS” but change its meaning — the acronym now stands for “Just About Shirts” as well as “Jewelry, Accessories, Shirts.”

Elon senior and frequent All That JAS shopper Jenna Sonlin said she believes All That JAS is a powerful force that attracts students from all over the area.

“I think it really says something that people drive a half-hour from High Point just for All That JAS,” she said. “They also do significant business with...[other] states and, through the addition of its eCommerce site, the store now sells customized apparel to online shoppers across the United States.”

Sonlin said the store is truly one of a kind, not only because there aren’t many stores similar in nature in the area, but also because the customer service experience is unlike any other.

“The employees form such tight relationships with Michaelle and the team becomes more like a family,” she said. “When you shop, there is always somebody helping you and asking you what you need. The whole experience is so welcoming.”

But despite the staff’s efforts to be friendly, a survey done by Live Oak Communications indicates a common misconception about the store is preventing some students from giving it a chance.

“We surveyed 500 Elon students and alumni and found that many people thought the store only sold Greek merchandise, which caused some freshmen to be too intimidated to pay All That JAS a visit,” said senior Kara Damiano, a senior account executive at Live Oak.

According to Damiano, the store has made it a point to focus more on customizable monograms and apparel while still offering Greek merchandise.

“If you walk by the window display, you’ll notice there’s so much more than Greek apparel,” she said. “They do a ton of personalization and are willing to respond to almost every idea customers have. It’s so much more than just a Greek store.”

In fact, customers at All That JAS said they take pride in knowing items from the store are one of a kind.

“I prefer to buy Elon apparel from All That JAS because I don’t want what everyone else has,” said senior Lizzy Ballard. “Then I have a cute and unique way to show my school spirit.”

As the store’s pioneer of creativity, Graybeal credits her success to her dedication.

“You have to have passion for what you do,” she said. “If you have the passion for it, everything else will fall into place. We love being at Elon and we love coming to work everyday.”