It can be challenging for many to find their passion, nonetheless make it their day job. Keely Bembry has tried everything to find her drive, and she encourages all believers and dreamers to do the same. From celebrity stylist to retail sales associate {in that order}, to film costume designer, and eventually boutique owner, Keely didn’t take the cookie-cutter path to get to where she is today, the owner of SECÜR boutique in Jersey City. Read on to learn more about the former celebrity stylist and how she started her women’s apparel boutique in downtown Jersey City.
About The Owner
Keely Bembry grew up in Brooklyn, New York. As an adult, she became a celebrity stylist in the late 90s up until 2009 working for several rappers and artists such as Lil’ Kim. After over ten years in the industry, Keely felt she needed a change in her gut and took a break from styling to work retail. Keely replaced making a substantial salary in New York City to just minimum wage when she quit her job to work at a small boutique in Atlanta.
“Everybody thought I lost my mind, but I didn’t,” Keely laughs. She was following her gut. “I was always my own boss, so I liked now having a schedule, and it gave me more time to spend with my children,” Keely explains. “I also got to understand retail at a different level as a salesperson. I needed to understand product knowledge and operations on a larger scale.”
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After working in a clothing store for a few years and gaining retail knowledge under her belt, Keely returned to her roots in NYC to become a costume designer for films for the union in 2012, working on projects including Oceans 8.
“My best piece of advice for people looking to find what they’re passionate about is to try it all, but not all at once because you want to give everything 100% to really figure it out,” Keely advises. And that is exactly what she did. After costume design, she went back to styling and opened her styling brand in Pennsylvania, until finally moving her business to Jersey City. In July of 2018, Keely signed the lease for SECÜR, a women’s clothing boutique on Grove Street.
The Boutique
SECÜRoffers “clothes for every woman,” Keely explains. “I’m a stylist, so I try to secure every woman, whether they are looking for an outfit for work, church, dinner, a wedding, funeral, or just trying to get their groove back,” Keely explains.
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This is where the name SECÜR comes from. The assortment consists of apparel, accessories, handbags, jewelry, and shoes, and price points range from $29 up to $189 depending on intricacy, but most pieces live in the $89 range.
Future Plans
Exciting things are happening for Keely and the SECÜR brand! She plans to open a SECÜR men’s store down the street in Jersey City in November and a SECÜR essentials shop that will sell basics, undergarments, intimates, and other essentials that every woman needs. Keely also plans to open another boutique in Newark in February called SECÜR by KBS.
Keely encourages locals to stop in the boutique to truly get the experience and be dressed by a former celebrity stylist. “We are always doing impromptu photoshoots with customers,” Keely says, which can be viewed on the shop’s Instagram.
The Info
SECÜR is located at 291 Grove Street in downtown Jersey City. Follow @securbykbs on Instagram to check out new arrivals, how Keely styles her clients, and updates on promotions happening at the shop.
