Modern Blondes
Modern Blondes
I met Heidi and Jayne sometime mid-2000’s. I had been living and working out of my basement darkroom in Forest Park for several years. One of my earliest memories of the two of them was quite the vision. They were marching in Forest Park’s amazing St Paddy’s Day parade. Winter was stubborn with flurries in the air. All attendees were keeping warm by huddling together and using a fair amount of drinking to ward off the chill.
We could see the Team Blonde group from a distance. Amid the sea of green, orange-and winter coats-strutting toward us in the parade was a swatch of pink and blonde. Five members came into focus as they approached me with my three young boys, all donning blonde super bouffant wigs with necks wrapped in hot pink super boas. They floated down Madison St announcing their Team Blonde business while championing female empowerment in their own fun satirical way.
By the time I opened my studio space in 2006 I had gotten to know the two of them a bit. Their sisterhood was formed in undergrad at the University of Illinois. Heidi went on for a law degree and Jayne an MBA. Both incredibly smart, ambitious, and often underestimated. We collaborated on chamber boards and crowd sourced dollars for a marketing effort to drive shoppers from all over Chicagoland to our community.
They purchased the original Team Blonde shop on a hot corner of Forest Park. When they bought their current building just down the street, they worked to find new tenants for their original space during a difficult downturn in the 2008 economy. With few prospects, they developed the corner into Counter Coffee, doing many renovations on their own. Establishing a space for coffee-clutchers several years before the current inhabitant, Kribi Coffee Air Roasters, took over in 2019 making it their flagship location.
Their current Team Blonde location has grown into an established eco-spa and boutique. You’ll find beautiful women’s clothing, products promoting a better earth for future generations, and an atmosphere that encourages kindness, demands respect for women, and promotes love for pets. My wife, mother, and mother-in-law all shop there. My sons and I are regulars whenever we are in need of a gift for the special people in our lives.
Their Modern Rosie portrait is set in their boutique eco-spa, surrounded by many stylish and witty “girl power” offerings. Heidi holding a law book, Jayne her essential tablet and favorite coffee mug. You’ll notice in the mirror over Jayne’s shoulder the framed portrait of the blondes with Heidi’s charming dog Jazz from back when we met.
These small business entrepreneurs own property and look to acquire more as investments. They consult for large corporations and are on charity boards. They embody the notion that blondes can be intelligent, flashy, witty, kind, impactful and powerful. I wonder if the writers of the Barbie movie were at that 2008 parade, secretly met them, or have shopped in their store. If so, I wouldn’t be surprised.