Suburban Outfitters

It was like Christmas morning watching Karen Barnshaw and Suzanne Rutstein rifle through huge boxes of new merchandise for JuJu, the shop they're opening soon in Concord's historic Depot building on Thoreau Street. 

As they unwrapped buttery-soft fleece jackets in lush fall colors, the co-owners gushed about their forthcoming new venture selling activewear for men, women and children that's both stylish and functional. 

"Clothes that are fashionable, but not fussy, that you can throw on, leave on and feel good in," says Rutstein.  She and Barnshaw say they've had a blast choosing which brands JuJu will carry, but they looked carefully for detail-oriented companies with responsible corporate philosophies.

Most of the labels they picked are hard to find in these parts, including Mountain Hardware, Isis, Pistil and Carve Designs, and some are hard to pronounce, like Kühl, Kavu, mooloolaba and Lolë. Besides indoor and outdoor clothing, JuJu will also sell jewelry, hats, messenger bags and other accessories (including the knit belt that Julia Roberts wore in the recent film "Eat Pray Love").

The Depot location stood out for their store after a search of nearby towns.  They say the process reinforced the idea that their concept is relatively unique in the area.

Barnshaw lives in Westford and Rutstein in Concord, but they found common ground when a mutual friend introduced them last spring. Both women have children and lead busy, active lives, they've often found themselves in need of comfy-chic clothing they can feel confident wearing all day, for all kinds of activities, and they don't want to drive far to stock up.  In opening Juju they're banking on the notion that they're not alone, even in tough economic times.

"Especially in a down economy people are looking for stuff that's versatile, and our price points will be reasonable," says Barnshaw. 

As for the name of their shop, the word juju is associated with luck, magic and fun, and it's thought to be derived from joujou, the French word for toy. Rutstein says it's a fitting name for a shop full of clothes that people of all ages can play in.

JuJu is scheduled to open in early October at 82 Thoreau Street in Concord.