Pauline Valentine never imagined that selling on the sidewalk in Downtown, Kingston would one day blossom into a lingerie boutique that empowers women to feel confident and beautiful. But with sheer determination, faith, and the support of her daughter, Andrea Jackson Robinson, Valentine’s Intimates & More has grown from street-side hustle.
“Panty, Brasier, $100!”, Andrea Jackson Robinson recalls helping her mother sell during her school years as she grew up watching her mother hustle on the streets. Despite the challenges, Pauline’s determination to provide for her family and her commitment to her customers laid the foundation for what would become.
Pauline recalls her early days: “I used to sell pig tails, and this young man just come up and said to me, ‘If you start sell panty and bra, you can make it.’ Operating from the corner of Luke Lane in Downtown Kingston, with no formal business training or sinificant capital, Pauline relied on her faith, grit, and wholesalers who trusted her with goods on credit.
“I went to a wholesaler, and they trusted me $400,000 worth of goods. I started selling, and when I sold, I paid them back and got more goods.”
Over time, she transitioned to selling women’s underwear, recognising a gap in the market for women, especially those with larger bust sizes, who struggled to find well-fitting bras.
Pauline has always put her customers first, even offering credit to those who couldn’t afford to pay upfront. Andrea shares a touching story: “One of our customers told me that my mom once said to her, ‘Get the bra and go home. When you have the money, come pay me.’ That’s the kind of person my mom is – raw, real, and full of faith.”
Andrea’s corporate career provided her with the financial stability and business acumen to help her mother transition from the sidewalk to a physical store. In 2019, Andrea rented a small 300-square-foot store on Harbour Street in Kingston. This marked the official beginning of Valentine’s Intimates & More.
However, the transition wasn’t immediate. Pauline, accustomed to the hustle of street vending, was hesitant to move into a store. Andrea shares, “My mom wasn’t keen on coming off the sidewalk. She always felt that people wouldn’t find her in a store, and the overhead costs would be too high.” It wasn’t until the COVID-19 pandemic forced her off the sidewalk that Pauline fully embraced the new business model.
During the pandemic, the business leveraged social media to grow its brand, increasing its followers from 77 to over 5,000. This digital presence helped Valentine’s Intimates & More reach a wider audience and establish itself as a trusted name in lingerie and personalised bra fittings.
Empowering women extends beyond their product line. In 2024, Andrea’s participation in the Digital Jamaica project training conducted by the Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC) introduced her to digital tools that streamlined operations, ensuring a smoother experience for customers.
Digital Jamaica is a €9.5-million-dollar project funded by the European Union (EU) and managed by the Ministry of Industry, Investment & Commerce (MIIC). The project seeks to empower 2700 Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises through training and certification in digital skills. Over 1000 women are set to benefit from this initiative as the training targets 40% women-owned businesses.
“Before, we struggled with managing customer flow, especially during peak hours. Learning how to use Google Forms for appointments was a game-changer. It improved customer service and gave us valuable insights into our business.”
With the success of the Kingston branch, Andrea set her sights on expansion. In 2023, Valentine’s Intimates opened its second location in Montego Bay, following overwhelming demand from customers in the western part of the island.
Through Valentine’s Intimates & More, Pauline and Andrea are doing more than selling lingerie “I want to build an inventory system that makes it easy for us to track stock across branches and, ultimately, expand to five locations. More than that, I want to create a seamless, technology-driven experience so we can focus on what we do best: making women feel confident.”
