Named after her beloved grandparents, Johnnie Floriene Byrd and David Quitman Byrd of Louisville, Kentucky, who recently celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary, ‘Johnnie Q’ is a standout boutique specializing in ladies’ jewelry, handbags, and accessories by designers CC Skye, House of Harlow, Liquid Metal, Ben Amun, Dara Ettinger and many more as well as vintage dresses to complete the old Hollywood glamour look.
Owner Brooklyn Byrd, a recent O'More School of Design graduate, grew up the daughter of two ballroom dance instructors for Arthur Murray Studio in Louisville, Kentucky. Surrounded by graceful women in sparkling gowns and feathered boas and more than a handful of men in something quite similar, the glamour bug bit her at an early age. She was bestowed with her first pair of high heels at the same time she learned to walk and was driving a miniature pink Barbie Corvette long before she ever had a driver’s license.
Her grandmother, Johnnie Floriene, better known as ‘Memom’ by her loved ones, a woman with impeccable style, worked from her home as a makeup artist for Shaklee and never minded when the granddaughters came over to play dress up and experiment with the season’s latest shades. In fact, she took the opportunity to share her wisdom of the trade, teaching the young ones the importance of knowing their colors and when just enough is more than plenty. She, in turn, learned those principals from her mother, who was a seamstress and could replicate the latest fashions in Vogue without a pattern.
Her grandfather, David Quitman Byrd, is the eternal romantic, always seeing the beauty in things and offering sage business advice when solicited. To this day, he surprises his wife of 65 years with roses on her birthday and sweet little mementos at every anniversary.
“There’s a touch of family influence in every corner of my shop,†said Brooklyn Byrd, owner of Johnnie Q. “Their photos are displayed throughout and I wouldn’t have had the courage to open the doors without their support. Ever since I was a little girl, I remember looking up to my beautiful grandmother, Memom and seeing photographs of her in the handmade gowns that her mother spent countless hours creating. This boutique is my homage to my family and an opportunity for me to continue that tradition.â€
