Grace & Joy inspires with beautiful clothing and more

The family was on a mission trip helping the blind in Vietnam when inspiration struck.

The beautiful clothes, handcrafted jewelry and warmth of the people they met on that 2012 trip inspired them to share the beauty around them, Hubbard said.

“Inspired by the vibrant colors and culture of Southeast Asia, with $1,000 and a few airline points, we purchased handmade jewelry and scarves at Thai markets,” Hubbard said of her visit. “My mother brought these unique pieces home and hosted a party in her living room.”

Every item brought home was sold and his mother used the money to return to Thailand to visit her sister, who was in the process of moving to the country, said Hubbard, who recently took on the role of chief executive of the clothing company.

On that trip, she met a family of tailors and inspiration struck again, leading her to create Grace & Joy and its line of artisanal clothing. A 700-square-foot store followed on First Avenue, a space that quickly outgrew.

The company now has a 5,000-square-foot flagship store and a growing online presence. The company offers clothing that is designed in small batches and made to order for the store, with bold, colorful patterns and classic styles that are both beautiful and comfortable. According to the family, they are designed to bring both grace and joy to the wearer, hence the company’s name.

This belief was core to Grace & Joy when it launched in 2012, and it remains true today, with Hubbard taking over from his mother, Susan Wentz, known as Gigi to friends and family, as CEO and leading the growing business with his sister Lilly.

Hubbard took over the company to allow his mother, Susan Wentz, to focus on her recovery after battling brain cancer, a cancer discovered earlier this year. She had fallen ill, and after weeks of hospitalization and testing, Wentz was diagnosed with glioblastoma, a serious form of brain cancer. While she was initially given 30 days to live, she said that while her mother has miraculously recovered, she still has a long road ahead of her.

The family is more determined than ever to take their business to the next level and have big goals to grow their YouTube channels, boost their website and continue designing their clothing.

“Our family business has been pushed to its limits since the pandemic and my mother’s brain cancer diagnosis,” Hubbard said.

When the store closed in March 2020, during the pandemic, the website was hanging by a thread: handwritten labels were used to track inventory. Clothing production, in Thailand and Vietnam, had been halted by the pandemic. The sisters launched YouTube channels, “Chloe Simone Says” and “Lillys Life,” to spread the word about Grace & Joy, both the business and the philosophy behind it, which gave rise to the company’s name.

“We didn’t focus on the sale per se, but started telling family stories that were uplifting and relevant,” Hubbard said.

The YouTube channels have attracted a growing fan base and allow the family to share what is happening in their lives and the latest Grace & Joy news.

“We’ve shared so many aspects of our family life that people around the world feel like family,” Hubbard said. “We’ve traveled all over Asia and Europe and shared our experiences on our YouTube channels. We’ve shared the good and the bad — from shopping for our business in Bangkok, to fabric shopping in Saigon, Vietnam, to being at our mother’s bedside as she was dying of cancer.”

Inspired by their mother, who they describe as a serial entrepreneur and one of the hardest working people they know. Self-employed since the age of 19, Wentz has inspired her children to follow their dreams and not let anything stop them “even if it means breaking a few rules.”

“If anyone ever met my mother, she was the most optimistic, joyful person,” Hubbard said. “She was truly the CEO of all things joyful.”

While she has a lot of responsibility as CEO of Grace & Joy, Hubbard said she is also excited to continue that legacy.

“I’m looking forward to getting more involved in the Sandpoint community,” she said. “My husband and I bought a house in town last year and my favorite thing to do is walk to the beach with my two kids.”

Hubbard said they enjoy sharing the story of the business and the family. In fact, the sisters’ YouTube channels are more of a tribute to the love and joy they find as a family, with a few tidbits of information about Grace & Joy, a link to clothing they might wear from the business, or a video of a fabric shopping trip to Thailand or Italy.

“We love to tell stories and everything in our business has a story behind it,” Hubbard added.

Grace & Joy is located at 102 Cedar St., Sandpoint. You can find her online at shopgraceandjoy.com or on Facebook at ShopGraceAndJoy.