The Business for Bliss 2022
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022
“It’s the persistence, the resiliency, and the passion that separates you from everyone else.”
JULIE HUNT
JEFFERSON LANE Fairfax, Virginia
The daughter of a military attorney, Julie Hunt moved around quite a bit while growing up. “I was forever a transplant,” she relates, “a blown seed that could bloom anywhere.” She eventually found fertile ground in the Old Dominion state, attending the University of Virginia’s McIntire School of Commerce and earning a degree she parlayed into her career as a portfolio manager and vice president for a real estate investment trust.
“I needed a creative outlet and forever had an entrepreneurial spirit,” explains Julie, who says she yearned for more than the toil of corporate America. “Independence and creative thought drive every aspect of my life.” Jefferson Lane originally started as a DIY blog co-created with a college sorority sister. The name enfolds their two initials while also honoring UVA founder Thomas Jefferson—a name that is “memorable, timeless, and a reflection of the house that built me.”
Though her friend later stepped back, Julie continued, expanding the blog into the thriving business it is today. Her Montana-based mother is now her partner, and together they guide the development of the brand. Jefferson Lane products run the gamut from embroidered cashmere sweaters and cameo jewelry to pretty hair accessories and baby beanies. They hand-dye silk ribbon, working closely with local florists and
