Jaclyn Smith line expands to home furnishings

< Prev | 1 | 2

Most popular

A history of good business sense
Smith sounds confident her home furnishings, a step up in price from her Kmart apparel, will be equally well-received. She's considering cosmetics and jewelry lines as her next ventures.

Has she surprised herself with her business acumen?

"I was brought up with a sense of investment, of being wise with your money, in a conservative way. So, with that, I truly question why am I doing this and collect my facts, educate myself."

Story continues below ↓

advertisement | your ad here

Among her corporate duties are personal appearances to meet potential customers. On a recent visit to Hawaii she promoted Jaclyn Smith Home at a military base store, among the retailers carrying her furniture, and gave pep talks to salespeople.

Her memorable first in-store appearance for Max Factor, at a Bloomingdale's in New York, came at the height of her "Charlie's Angels" fame.

"They had a stampede and had to take me out," she recalled. These days, people still show up with dolls and lunch pails from her 1976-81 tenure as Kelly Garrett on the fluffy detective series.

"People who are true fans are shaking, crying ... it's very emotional. It's not sign and move on," she said. Her admirers must think time has stood still for Smith, who at 58 looks virtually unchanged, her hair still glossy brown and her figure Angels-trim.

Smith, who stuck with the TV show for its entire run and with Kmart despite corporate turmoil, appreciates loyalty. She also has a sense of perspective. Asked if she ever worried that her personal life — she's been married four times, including her current eight-year union with Dr. Bradley Allen, a heart surgeon — might affect her business interests, she brushes away the question.

She was only concerned about how her family would react, she said, and they understood her decisions.

"My public image is so squeaky clean, some might say, 'Live it,'" she added. She now has a "strong, good marriage, a wonderful husband, and he's an incredible stepfather."

Smith's increased business focus hasn't kept her from reading the scripts that come her way, although she laments the rise of reality series and decline of TV miniseries.

It's possible her children might make entertainment a family tradition. Her daughter studied dance at New York University and is evaluating her future, and her son is a "talented photographer" who could emulate his dad, a cinematographer, Smith said.

She understands that life takes unexpected turns.

"Listen, I started as a ballerina. I thought I was going to be to teaching ballet down the street in Houston, Texas, living a few houses from my parents. So life is a surprise and you never know where you're going to go."

< Prev | 1 | 2