JJs Menswear brings new life to longtime Rigby storefront

RIGBY – JJs Menswear, a new men’s clothing store in Rigby, celebrated its grand opening over the weekend.

The shop opened at 247 Farnsworth Way in the old Beloved Fashions building on March 20. Store owner Juan Jimenez tells EastIdahoNews.com the shop offers formal and casual clothing for men and boys, including shirts, hoodies and pants. Its primary focus is suits, which are available for sale or rent.

“So far, anyone who’s set foot in the store has had a positive response,” Jimenez says. “I’m getting a lot more foot traffic (as more people hear about it).”

Yan Fong, who owns the building, operated Beloved Fashions at this location for nearly two decades. The women’s clothing store opened in 2007. Its last day of operation was on Feb. 28, according to its Facebook page.

“Our physical store has gracefully come to a close, and we would like to sincerely thank you for your years of love and support,” Fong wrote. “It has truly meant so much to us.”

While Fong says she loved running the store, she’s ready to take a break for a bit. She’s planning to continue selling inventory online.

Fong has lived in Rigby for about 30 years, and her family has been involved in several local businesses.

She says she’s happy that Jimenez is renting the building from her and wishes him success on his new business venture.

Jimenez says his motivation for opening JJs Menswear was based on input from members of the community.

“Before I opened up, I talked to some locals here about where they shop for clothes and they all said that going to Idaho Falls was a big chore and that it’d be nice if there was something (in Rigby),” he says.

Jimenez lives in Utah with his wife, Elyse, who grew up in Rigby. He’s worked in men’s clothing stores throughout the Beehive State for several years and wanted to open a store of his own.

“I learned a lot and thought I might as well do my own store because (I’d advanced as far as I could there),” he says. “I decided if I’m going to do suits, I’m also going to do regular clothes because I hate shopping at different stores to get all my clothes.”

Jimenez says the clothing market is oversaturated in Utah. He also didn’t want to compete with his former bosses, and his ties to eastern Idaho drew him to this side of the state.

He began his search in Pocatello and Idaho Falls. A place in Thornton caught his attention until he saw a “for lease” sign on the Rigby building while driving on U.S. Highway 20.

He says he’s thrilled with the location and its visibility to traffic.

“The view from the street is just amazing,” says Jimenez.

Jimenez says he and his wife are hoping to eventually buy a house in town so he doesn’t have to keep commuting from Utah.

His longterm goal with the shop is to fill all the clothing needs for boys and men.

“I’m noticing that I need to get different patterns and colors here already. I’m still working on getting a great pair of jeans,” he says. “I want to make sure the store is fully-stocked with whatever clothing needs to city of Rigby has.”

JJs Menswear is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

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