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Empowered to dream at Brass + Oak.

Jennifer R. had an ambitious dream as a young child: She wanted to own a business. And today, she’s living that dream as the owner and founder of Brass + Oak, a clothing boutique in downtown Brighton.

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At the age of eleven, Jennifer knew she wanted to be an entrepreneur. Specifically, she wanted to own a clothing boutique. Something that combined her love of fashion and her newfound passion for empowering other women. And after shopping in Downtown Brighton one day, she even found the perfect location for her business.

Months later, she was downtown again and noticed the storefront she wanted was available, as the previous occupants had moved down the street to a new building. She took this as fate telling her it was time to launch her dream. But first, she needed funding to get started.

The perfect partnership.

The perfect partnership.

Jennifer turned to Lake Trust after her husband suggested she connect with the credit union.

“What I loved about Lake Trust is as soon as we walked into the door, I felt like I knew them, even though it was the first time I met them,” said Jennifer of her first interaction with the Lake Trust team in Brighton.

Since this local team was familiar with the Brighton community, they shared Jennifer’s enthusiasm for her clothing boutique. It was exactly the type of business that would fit in on Main Street. In addition to support and confidence from the team, she also left the Lake Trust Brighton relationship center with the funding she needed to get started.

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“I remember leaving Lake Trust and crying because I was so excited to have a loan and be approved for something that I've been dreaming about since I was eleven years old,” said Jennifer as she recalled the memory.

 

Soon after, she leased her dream storefront. And a few short weeks later, Brass + Oak Women’s Clothing Boutique opened its doors.

A familiar support system.

A familiar support system.

In September 2024, Jennifer and other business owners in Downtown Brighton had the unique opportunity to participate in Destination Stars Hollow. During this weekend-long event, downtown was transformed into the fictional town from the hit TV show Gilmore Girls, and area businesses acted as stores from the show. The inaugural event was a hit, with over 40,000 people visiting Brighton throughout the weekend.

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So, Jennifer started to prepare the store for another big weekend when it was announced that Destination Stars Hollow was happening again in 2025. If the event was anywhere near as successful as it was the year before, this was a huge opportunity to give her business a boost. But she’d need to stock up on additional inventory before Brass + Oak transformed into Loreli’s Closet for the weekend.

 

Since Lake Trust was the presenting sponsor for the event, Jennifer realized her connections at the credit union would understand the importance of her business having a successful weekend. With the help of a small business microloan, Jennifer purchased the inventory needed to meet her sales goals for the weekend.

 

Because of Lake Trust, we were able to take out a loan, buy everything that we needed, plus some. And that's how we were able to rock out the weekend.

- Jennifer R., owner of Brass + Oak

“Heading into Stars Hollow, I was very nervous that we wouldn't have enough capital to be able to buy as much product as we needed to make the event as successful as it was,” Jennifer explained. “Lake Trust was able to support us by giving us enough money to buy products for the event to stock our store full of everything that we needed. They set us up for success.”

 

In its second year, Destination Stars Hollow again brought over 55,000 people to the community. And Jennifer found even more success than she was predicting. The store almost doubled its sales goals for the weekend.

We all need a community.

We all need a community.

Opening Brass + Oak has helped Jennifer feel more connected to the community she lives in and loves. She’s created a space where women of every generation can shop together and find high-quality clothing and accessories in a friendly, comfortable atmosphere. And in this space, Jennifer has made valuable connections with other women in the area. So, it’s always an honor when these women turn to Jennifer and her team to help them find clothing that makes them feel their best during life's most important milestones, like engagement parties, weddings, and baby showers.

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Lake Trust has empowered me to grow my business.

- Jennifer R., owner of Brass + Oak

But the best part of Jennifer’s life as an entrepreneur is being able to show others that their dreams matter.

 

“I wanted to have this happen my whole life that [opening her boutique]. So being able to do now with two young kids and be able to show them if you have a dream, you can make it happen. That's like the biggest thing.”

 

Visit Brass + Oak at 427 W. Main St. in Brighton or shop online at shopbrassandoak.com

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