About Us

Hi! I'm so excited you are here.

First thing first I would like to introduce myself, Hi I'm Johna Mitchem and I am the very proud owner of Frances & Co. 

I was born and raised in a small town in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains in Southwest Virginia. After graduating high school I moved to Indiana where I attended Saint Mary's College (Go Belles!) While I was there I made some great memories and even better friends. I majored in Business Administration with concentrations in Marketing and Management. Saint Mary's and more importantly the Business Department and the professors there gave me the education and the confidence to open my own business. 

However it wouldn't be until 5 years after I graduated that I took the leap to do so. That push came from my father a man who lives and breathes business. He came to me one day and told me that I needed to be doing something I loved, something that I knew about. Well that was easy I knew when I switched my major to business at SMC that my goal was to one day own my own clothing store. I started that day in July getting everything together I would need and a month later on August 24th I launched my very own women's online clothing boutique, Frances & Co. 

So here we are, but you might be wondering "Why is it called Frances & Co.?" 

Thats a great question. 

This woman right here is why it is named Frances & Co. 

Frances Jackson my amazing and beautiful Great Grandmother. She is what I like to call the Betty White of our family she truly is the crown jewel. A loving Wife, Mother of 5, Grandmother of 13, Great Grandmother of 24 and Great-Great Grand Mother of 8 her hands are as full as her heart. In her young adulthood she was working and raising 5 young children, she didn't have much money so she never bought herself new clothes or shoes, instead she would receive hand-me-downs that were much to small for her from her sister-in-law. She worked for a bank and rode the bus wearing shoes that didn't fit for years. That didn't keep her from always looking her best and dressing the way that expressed herself. 

She never has a problem with being straight to the point and telling you exactly what her opinion might be on something whether she was asked or not. She has a closet full of all kinds of different clothing pieces she has collected over the years. A true lover of all jewelry and shoes she has the perfect accessory for every outfit. 

When deciding what I wanted to name my new venture I knew I was not worthy of naming it after myself and while there are others in my life very deserving of the name sake it was very clear to me from the beginning that the best choice was Frances, my Gran-Gran.

I have learned that I feel the best when I am happy with what I am wearing. I think a lot of times in todays society we are pressured to wear what others find attractive or appealing when the only people we need to appeal to is ourselves. While shopping with Frances & Co. I want you to buy and wear what you like, step outside your comfort zone or stay with what you like it's all about what makes you feel the best about yourself. At the end of the day it doesn't matter how good your outfit is if it doesn't make you feel good on the inside you aren't going to feel good about yourself and that's what we all want is to feel good about ourselves! 

If you have read all the way to the end thank you, thank you for caring enough about my story and why I am here. I hope Frances & Co is more than just a store I want it to be somewhere you look to help you express yourself and feel good about yourself. I want it to be somewhere you find something special for all those  life events and our extraordinary everyday lives. 

Feel free to reach out with any questions you have about our products or size and fit or just to say hi! 

love, 

Johna Mitchem 

Frances & Co.