Jul 24, 2013

Former Marshall Field’s Executive Runs Gift Shop Like Department StoreBy Jackie PilossohNorthbrook.Suntimes.com

Northbrook, IL – Jill Carlisle will tell you that her Northbrook gift store, la de da! is small, but that she runs it with the same mechanics she would if she was running Marshall Fields.

Carlisle can say that, because prior to opening la de da! she spent 14 years working at Field’s, specifically as a buyer in children’s wear, women’s apparel, and her biggest job at the company, an import buyer who developed private label knitwear for 28 stores.

“A lot of small stores open as a hobby,” said Carlisle. “This was opened purely as a business to support my family. For me, everything I learned at Field’s– finance, merchandise selection, and choosing and selling hot items aggressively–I brought here.”

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