How many of you know Jeanna McSweeney? She is a dear friend, and I worked at her boutique Just Jeanna’s for years. I started with her when the store was on the corner of Commercial and North Pine in Nevada City and eventually made the move to East Main Street in Grass Valley.

I wouldn’t say that ours is an unlikely friendship; with her red curls and passion for fashion, we frequently were asked if she was my mom. When you spend that much time with someone in a retail environment, you get to know each other, and that we did.

Though she technically was mature enough to have been my mom, we were and are good friends. She watched out for me, forced me to take breaks, and sought my advice on what merchandise she should carry. She trusted me, and for me that goes a long way and is the utmost compliment.

She is also full of what I call “Jeanna-isms:” “Should I close the door or leave it open? “Now don’t forget to take a break. Take some money out of the drawer and go get yourself a little coffee. Oh, hi, little friend!” The list goes on.

When it comes down to it, she instilled a lot of confidence in me when I was in my early 20s and I am so grateful for her kindness. Every once in a while I will see her in town and it’s as if no time has passed. I am lucky to have such a dear friend.

My days at Jeanna’s were peppered with a number of other women with whom I shared my life, at least while we were in those four walls.

Sue McAllister was one of my favorites. Her children were my age but she talked to me as if I was just another girlfriend. We would laugh and gossip, and during Victorian Christmas we’d run and get some mulled wine from the Veteran of Foreign Wars booth as soon as we clocked out. She’s another one who always stops to talk when I see her, though it’s not often enough.

The very first day she ever worked there, Jill Tremewan shared things with me that I could sense she had told few people before. We were instant friends. To know Jill is to love her, and I was astonished when she told me she had three sons. Not too long after we began working together, she announced she was going to be a grandmother.

Jill also regaled me in stories of her youth (which was farther back than one would ever think; I don’t know what her secret is, but she does not age). My favorite was when she told me that she saw Motley Crue at the Nevada Theatre when she was extremely pregnant and it was so loud she thought she’d go into labor! Jill’s dad, Reverend Roy, officiated my folks’ wedding in 1973.

She also took pictures of me for her photography class at Sierra College; one of them still hangs in my parents’ house.

What a cast of characters Jeanna McSweeney brought together! Barbara Wright, Vickie Mason, Amy Pendola, Cindy Latimer, and others, though not many. Once you worked for Jeanna, you tended to stay, which I think sums up her personality perfectly.

Side note: my mom and dad just celebrated the 50th anniversary of their first date. My dad sent her a huge, beautiful bouquet straight from Maui and they enjoyed a nice dinner together. I am so glad he worked up the nerve to ask her out lo those many years ago.

Jennifer Nobles is a staff writer with The Union. She can be reached at jnobles@theunion.com

How many of you know Jeanna McSweeney? She is a dear friend, and I worked at her boutique Just Jeanna’s for years. I started with her when the store was on the corner of Commercial…

Readers around Grass Valley and Nevada County make The Union’s work possible. Your financial contribution supports our efforts to deliver quality, locally relevant journalism.

Now more than ever, your support is critical to help us keep our community informed about the evolving coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is having locally. Every contribution, however large or small, will make a difference.

Your donation will help us continue to cover COVID-19 and our other vital local news.

Do not sell my personal information