Jill Bradshaw steps into this week’s Confessional. Just five years ago the L.A. native moved to New York and began setting up shop, literally. I Heart is one of New York’s premiere boutiques that carries hard-to-find and adventurous brands such as Tsumori Chisato, Wood Wood, and Alice McCall, while creating a full music, art, and fashion shopping experience. The next big project for Jill? I Heart will be opening its own showroom at the end of this month, housing some of the very same lines she sells in the boutique.

Jill is also a member of our Worship Worthy blog squad on Riottt.com which officially launches this week! Make sure to check it out here.

Name and Age, please:
Jill Bradshaw, 29

Marital status:
single

Where are you originally from?
LA

How long have you lived in New York?
5 years

What neighborhood in NY do you live in?
Nolita

What are your favorite memories of New York since living here?
My first snow, opening party of I Heart, every time i dance to a great DJ.

Give us a brief rundown of your past work experience.
Worked for 10eleven in LA which was a showroom that carried lines like Diane von Furstenberg and Theory, then did sales for Joie here in NYC when I moved. Also did a brief stint as marketing director for Soho and Tribeca Grand hotels….not my thing.

What was the inspiration behind I Heart?
I’ve always loved fashion and felt that there was a lack in the market for a store that carried certain hard to find amazing designers. Being around a ton of creatives here in the city also inspired me to do more, create something, take risks. i started the store with my best friend Toni and she also had the same vision as me so we just went for it. From there everything just seemed to fall into place. I wanted to find a big space where i could create a comfortable environment and we found it. The design aesthetic came together from random pieces of modern furniture we found. It all just seemed to make sense.

You place a lot of importance on creative freedom, has there been times when you’ve been forced to “compromise” as a business woman, or have you always managed to retain this freedom?
I’ve always tried to maintain creative freedom with the store. Part of the concept of the store is to try to get people to step outside of their comfort zone and buy things that aren’t necessarily according to trends or what they think they’re supposed to like. Sometimes I change the lineup at the store to suit what sells however i don’t feel that I’m compromising with what I bring in. I’m just narrowing down exactly what I want and what works.

The lifestyle experience is becoming an increasingly important element in shopping. What’s the key to bringing together fashion, music and art?
I just bring in what I like. I have a lot of friends who are artists and I try to support their work. I also have a lot of friends in the music industry and I try to bring in CDs that people won’t necessarily know about. It’s all about stretching boundaries.

Your dad used to be the business manager for Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols, do you think this affiliation with punk rock has anything to do with your current style and affinities?
Not really, my parents were definitely not “punk”, it was all business. But my dad did introduce me to music at a young age and I grew a great connection to it. We may not have the same tastes now but I will always have a love for classic rock which was more his style.

You’re a familiar face in downtown NYC, do you think being involved in the nightlife scene played an important role when starting I Heart, or any business for that matter?
I think getting the word out to people always helps however, I didn’t think about it. I was just lucky that I had a lot of friends to support the store and i guess that comes from going out a lot. I just like being social and meeting new people because that’s where my inspiration for things comes from. I go out because it’s part of me, it’s why I love New York so much. If it helped with the business, even better.

How do you choose what brands to put in your store? What do you look for in rookie brands?
I look for things that pop out at me. I look for lines that don’t look like they’re copying other people’s ideas. I also normally look for lines that don’t take fashion too seriously. It’s hard for a rookie line to really interest me just because so many people aren’t doing anything

I Heart is frequently the first store in New York to sell young and less heard of brands that eventually grow into some of the hottest. What’s the key to staying ahead of the curve?
I have no idea. I don’t think about it. I just pick what I like. I like things to come organically. I usually find a lot of new designers when I’m in different countries or through other people that recommend lines. I’ve gotten really lucky with certain lines because they are so special to me and no one has found them yet.

What’s the most satisfying thing about your business?
When a customer tells me it’s their favorite store in New York or that they love the aesthetic. To me, that’s why I started the store. Just to know that other people get the concept and enjoy it makes me happy.

How did you come to represent the Berlin based publisher Die Gestalten Verlag? (Los Logos and other graphic design books.)
Whenever there was a book that I liked I would look and Die Gestalten Verlag was always the publisher so it became apparent to me that I needed to carry their books. I’ve always been a fan of their picks.

Any stores in other cities around the world that you heart?
Isetan in Tokyo. Actually, any store in Tokyo is pretty amazing but Isetan carries the most amazing collections of Tsumori Chisato stuff that no one else has- little shoes and sleepwear. She’s my favorite designer. I also quite like Loveless in Aoyama. I fancy Kokon to Zai in London just cuz it’s a little off and they carry vinyl as well. I’m a sucker for good music. Other than that, my favorite stores are the ones I randomly find that will carry amazing vintage pieces or small housewares that are unique and cute.

Any words of advice for someone who wants to open their own boutique?
Know what you’re getting into before you start. Have your whole heart into what you do because it takes a lot of time and work and patience.

Got a long term plan?
I do! Well, I’m starting a showroom at the end of August and carrying a few lines that i have in the store: Wood Wood, Perks and Mini, Lonely Hearts, Wowch, and Name Ribbon. Seeing that i used to do sales before i opened the store, this seemed natural. I also plan on starting an online store toward the end of the year. Lastly, I have plans to start my own I Heart line of sleepwear. I’d like to diversify my interests so that I can try lots of things. I love the store but I have so many ideas running around in my head.

Do you have much free time? And, what do you do when you’re not working?
Surprisingly I do have free time. I try to leave work at the store and use my free time to enjoy the things I love. I mean some days I work from home, however I don’t do that every night. I try to get up early and work out before the store opens. At night I normally get dinner with friends, check out a band, or see my friends DJ. I have a slight weakness for disco and drink tickets.

How would you describe your personal style?
No clue. Everyday I wake up with a different mood. Some days I’m very Parisian mod, some days I’m hippie, some days I’m 50’s housewife….I just like to try different things. I never try to put myself in a category. Also, the clothes I have normally determine my look. Some days I’ll want to wear a certain dress and I’ll work around that. Or sometimes a belt and I’ll think of new ways to wear it. It’s never one style.

What’s your prized possession?
My cat cosmo. He’s the best cat ever. If you’ve seen him you know why he’s my prized possession. He’s kinda special in a white fluffy crazy way. He’s also the Wowch CEO.

Where do you like to shop?
I rarely shop in the city. I really get trapped in the “order a piece for myself” thing when buying for the store. However, I always make a trip to H&M here and there to see if they have anything. I’ve found a lot of easy pieces there in the past. For vintage I always make a trip to Narnia in the LES, it’s one of my favorites. As for beauty, my sister owns a store in LA that carries beauty products so i order everything through her (www.kalologie.com)….I guess running a store runs in the family.

Do you go out much? Got any favorite bars, lounges, clubs?
I go out less than I used to which is still around 3-4 nights a week but lately I just prefer to chill in my apartment and watch a good movie. I very rarely like a New York venue so it’s hard to say if I have any favorites. I normally just go wherever friends are doing a night. However, I like Heather’s bar on 13th street a lot, and for clubs I like Studio B in Greenpoint. Studio B is the only club bringing the best DJs at the moment and it’s big enough to really dance and not be around douchebags that have no idea what they’re listening to.

Name your top 3 fave restaurants in NY and what your favorite dish(es) is there.
Ruby’s: bronte burger (I’m in a burger club, I love a good burger)
Pho Bang: tai pho (i love most asian food in general but there’s something about Vietnamese that’s my favorite)
Il Mulino: lobster risotto (This restaurant is my favorite of the city and this dish is out of control. You basically gain about 15 pounds upon eating it but you can’t help but enjoy it.)

What music have you been listening to lately?
If I made a list it would be too long. I have a radio show on www.viva-radio.com if you’d like to listen but it mainly focuses on post punk, psyche rock, and synth pop. I also have a huge love for disco and techno. Music is a huge part of my life and I think I’ve become one of those music snobs along the way but i try not to let that come out so much.

Whats your most recent discovery/exploration in New York?
It’s amazing how you can constantly discover things in a city you’ve been living in for years. I actually recently discovered that I have a backyard, hahaha. It used to be all overgrown with weeds but I decided to change that and now I have a hammock and planted some plants. It’s always great to be outside and escape the city a little bit even if you’re still actually in the city.

Do you plan on living in NY forever?
Forever? I don’t know. That’s a tough question. I have no idea where life will take me. I know that I probably can’t live anywhere else in America besides New York, or at least somewhere that’s close enough to come into the city. I doubt I could live in LA again. Paris is my favorite city in Europe. I like to experience new things as often as possible though. I’ve lived in LA, Austin, London, and New York already. Who knows where I’ll be next.

If you smoke, tell us your favorite rolling paper. If you drink, tell us your cocktail/drink of choice.
I don’t smoke, I eat brownies. I drink beer, wine, and vodka tonics.

Name one New York woman that you would nominate to our Hail Mary! list.
Olivia Kao, she’s the production manager at 3.1 Phillip Llm and she’s got more style in her little pinky than most girls I know.